Interview:
Stockdale praises duo

Sunderland were handed a major boost on Tuesday evening as Jan Kirchhoff and Jason Denayer completed 90 minutes against Rochdale.

Both players came through a testing encounter unscathed at the Crown Oil Arena, with Kirchhoff making his first competitive appearance of the campaign following a hamstring injury.

Denayer, meanwhile, made his Sunderland debut and he impressed throughout with first-team coach Robbie Stockdale hailing the duo’s overall impact on the game.

“I think getting 90 minutes will do Jan the world of good," explained Stockdale.

“He broke that threshold and stayed on the pitch so that will be very good for him.”

He added: “Jason was what I thought he would be; very competitive and very quick across the ground.

“He was good on the ball and comfortable to take possession in tight situations, so I think he will be a real asset to the club.”