Sunderland boss Jack Ross to make late call on Aiden McGeady’s fitness for Portsmouth game at Fratton Park

The Blues play host to the Black Cats on Thursday, with a place in the League One play-off final at Wembley at stake.

Sunderland take a 1-0 advantage into the game at Fratton Park, following their triumph in the first leg at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Republic of Ireland international McGeady was originally included in Ross’ starting line-up for that game, only to be withdrawn prior to kick-off.

The winger has been nursing a fractured foot in recent weeks and was feeling the effects of the problem in the build-up to the match.

In his pre-match press conference before heading to the south coast, Ross explained McGeady’s condition hadn’t changed.

However, the Black Cats boss said he would wait before deciding whether to include the winger in his team for the visit to Fratton Park.

Ross said: ‘He (McGeady) is not any different than he was prior to the first leg, so we will wait and make a sensible decision.

‘’We will see what the right course of action is. Because of the relationship I have with him it is always a sensible conversation we have, you try to take as much of the emotion out of a decision as possible.

‘There are tougher ones when there are players of equal ability fighting for a place, with Aiden we have been making the decisions for the last month or so, so we are well familiar with this situation.’