MICK McCarthy was always planning to run the rule over Nathan Blake and Mark Burchill in training today but, after watching his misfiring strikers draw a blank at Scunthorpe last night, the Black Cats boss will be looking on more intently than ever.

Carl Robinson's 88th-minute header earned Sunderland a listless 1-1 draw in Lincolnshire but, while friendlies count for nothing, McCarthy will have been concerned at the ease with which his frontline was shackled by a side who avoided relegation from the Football League by just two places last season.

Kevin Kyle was missing again because of his hip injury and, while McCarthy remains hopeful the Scotland international will be fit for August 7, he is keen to have at least one more experienced frontman on board by the time his side travels to Coventry.

That could be either Blake, released by Wolves, or Burchill, deemed surplus to requirements at Portsmouth, with the former set to appear in Sunderland's final pre-season outing at Doncaster on Sunday.

"At the minute we don't have the personnel," admitted McCarthy. "But the two lads have done well in training.

"It's difficult because it's hard to have practice matches with having three games in a week. They've done well, but you really need to see them in a game.

"Burchill can't play on Sunday because he's contracted to another club, but Blake could play."

With the start of the Coca-Cola Championship season just eight days away, McCarthy sprang something of a surprise yesterday morning when he handed the captain's armband to centre-half Gary Breen.

Jason McAteer was Sunderland's club captain last season but, when he was released in May, it had been expected that stand-in skipper George McCartney would assume the role on a full-time basis.

McCarthy has opted to go with experience though and, while Breen was absent last night, the Black Cats boss is confident he is the right man to lead the club through the forthcoming campaign.

"If I'm true to myself, Breen is the captain," said McCarthy. "I could have left it and not made the decision but it would have been the wrong way. He has the experience, he's the talker, he's played in World Cups and has lots of caps for his country.

"To be fair to George, he agreed and said that if he was true to himself, he thought Gary Breen should be the captain. George is disappointed to lose it but it's not an issue with him."

Ironically, McCartney led the Black Cats out at Glanford Park just hours after relinquishing his role as skipper and proceeded to preside over a first half utterly devoid of goalmouth incident.

Stephen Elliott and Marcus Stewart were willing enough runners up front but, with the home side taking few risks, Sunderland's midfield rarely looked like breaking down their League Two hosts.

Indeed, the Black Cats' only effort on target before the break was a tame Stephen Caldwell header following a hanging Sean Thornton free-kick.

Scunthorpe were no more dangerous, although Cleveland Taylor should have done better after an intelligent one-two with Paul Hayes carved open the Sunderland defence.

Mart Poom watched his stabbed strike drift harmlessly wide but, after failing to emerge for the second half, his replacement Thomas Myhre was quickly in the thick of the action after the interval.

The Norwegian, who has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light this summer, was quick off his line to block Steve Torpey's low drive in the 47th minute.

But he was left helpless 60 seconds later as some lacklustre Sunderland defending allowed Scunthorpe to take the lead.

Nobody reacted to veteran winger Peter Beagrie's left-wing corner, and centre-half Andrew Butler was granted the freedom of the penalty area as his stooping header deflected off Dean Whitehead into the bottom corner.

McCarthy's immediate response was to replace youngsters Grant Leadbitter and Richie Ryan with the more seasoned Robinson and John Oster, and the latter almost made an instant impact with a crisp drive that whistled past Paul Musselwhite's right-hand upright.

But Scunthorpe remained a threat at the other end and Beagrie forced Myhre into a smart tip over with a quickly taken free-kick.

The former Sunderland loanee might be the oldest winger in town as he rapidly approaches his 40th birthday, but his quick mind still posed problems to a Black Cats' side containing players less than half his age.

That looked to be that with time slowly ebbing away, but Robinson spared Sunderland's blushes by heading home Thornton's late corner to earn a barely-deserved draw.

Scunthorpe (4-4-2): Musselwhite, Stanton (Graves 35), Crosby, Butler, Williams, Taylor, Kell, Baraclough, Beagrie (Sparrow 61), Hayes (Parton 82), Torpey.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Poom (Myhre 46), Williams, Lynch, Caldwell, McCartney, Leadbitter (Robinson 53), Thornton, Whitehead, Ryan (Oster 53), Elliott, Stewart (Brown 46).

* Alan Pardew fears West Ham will be forced to accept a cut-price offer for Michael Carrick or risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season.

The Hammers boss is resigned to losing his Wallsend-born midfield playmaker, with Portsmouth joining Crystal Palace in the hunt for his signature.

West Ham rejected a £2.5 m bid from Palace for the 23-year-old, who is a free agent in a year's time, but Pardew hinted they may be forced to cut their losses. He said: ''If a bid comes in that's of a reasonable size and Michael wants to go, it lies in his hands. We won't get anything for him at the end of the year so we have to assess the bid as it comes in.''

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