MICK McCarthy dismissed Joe Royle's televised warning to him that Ipswich Town would be better on Sunday than in their woeful defeat at Wolves as mind games.

By Derek Davis

MICK McCarthy dismissed Joe Royle's televised warning to him that Ipswich Town would be better on Sunday than in their woeful defeat at Wolves as mind games.

The Sunderland boss heard the Blues boss's comments about McCarthy leaving Molineux with a big smile on his face but was not worried.

He said: “I was quite conscious the cameras were there and I didn't want to sit there with a smile on my face. I didn't feel like that anyway. I was wound up like a clock watching it, it's at that stage of the season. If he thought I was smiling he was probably thinking I was, considering how he was on Saturday when he saw our result.

“I saw him before the game and I could see how wound up and how tense they were. I thought it was interesting that the psychological warfare had started already when he said to me live on TV that they'd be better (on Sunday). I've no doubt they will be but it's a good game in prospect.

“There was no point me being sat there (at Molineux) with a big smile and being smug about it because we've got to go down to Ipswich on Sunday and that can all change it. I'll try and reserve any of my smiling and satisfaction for if, when, maybe, we're in the Premier League. It's too early to be doing that.”

With the goalkeeping problems Sunderland have McCarthy would love to have Kelvin Davis in his side.

Thomas Myhre will be patched up and sent out to start even with a thigh injury while Ben Alnwick, who missed most of the week's training due to a family bereavement, is expected to be on the bench.

McCarthy said: “Davis was different class (at Wolves). He really was inspired and yet they were still beaten.

“Perhaps it is a good time to play them. When you're at home the pressure is put on by all of us. It's a game where we'll both be hoping we play as well as we can.

“The front two (Darren Bent and Shefki Kuqi) are both in the goalscoring charts. Darren Currie's a good footballer and Jim Magilton's a terrific footballer.

“They're a threat as an attacking force but they've conceded goals.”

derek.davis@eadt.co.uk