MICK McCarthy and Darren Byfield were last night united in their defence of Jeff Whitley as the Sunderland scrapper faced up to a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Whitley was sent off again in the latter stages of Sunderland's 2-0 win over Reading on Saturday, just ten days after being given his marching orders for a reckless two-footed challenge against Preston.

The Northern Ireland star was already disappointed at having to sit out next month's FA Cup semi-final with Millwall at Old Trafford, and he was left distraught at referee Paul Taylor's decision to send him off again following a clumsy tackle on James Harper. Whitley will receive at least another one-match ban for the offence and, with Sunderland now having received nine red cards this season, the club are bracing themselves for a rap on the knuckles from the FA.

Byfield ensured Sunderland's trip to the Madejski Stadium would still have a positive outcome as he marked his first start for the club with a crucial 73rd-minute opener.

But the former Rotherham striker, who has signed a short-term deal with the Black Cats until the end of the season, revealed that the thoughts of the entire Sunderland team were with Whitley at the final whistle.

"We all rally round and we like to help each other out," said Byfield. "The lads in the dressing room were trying to cheer Jeff up afterwards but he's a little bit upset. I thought he was a bit unlucky. The referee said he didn't control his tackle, but I don't understand that. He said it was two-footed but Jeff has won the ball.

"That's Jeff's game - his game is based on winning balls. It's players like Jeff Whitley that allow people like Sean Thornton and John Oster to play.

"I don't think the referee has had one of his better games to be honest - I wasn't very happy with him either." McCarthy was similarly unimpressed by Taylor's decision, but the Black Cats boss will not be trying to get it reversed this week.

"The two of them have jumped into the challenge and Jeff's got the ball," said McCarthy. "So I think it's a very disappointing decision to send him off."

Byfield's headed opener followed hot on the heels of his goal that earned a point against Stoke at the Stadium of Light last Tuesday. That was also a header and, while he might not possess either the height or the strength of strike partner Kevin Kyle, the Jamaican international has shown that he is quite capable of holding his own in the air.

With Matt Piper slowly building up his match fitness and John Oster hitting top form, Sunderland are not short of crossing options. But Byfield has warned the club's fans not to expect headed heroics every week.

"People from Sunderland will probably think that's one of my strong points now," said the in-form frontman. "But it isn't.

"It's probably the weakest part of my game. But it was a great ball in from George (McCartney) and I was just glad to see it go in."

Byfield has had to be patient since moving from Millmoor at the start of last month but, after scoring twice in six substitute appearances, his claims for a starting berth eventually proved too strong to ignore.

The 27-year-old is expected to retain his place in the starting line-up when Gillingham visit the Stadium of Light tomorrow night and, while he remains ineligible for the rest of Sunderland's FA Cup campaign, he is keen to show his worth in the battle for promotion.

"My aim is to hold down a place now," said Byfield. "I wasn't complaining when I wasn't starting games because the other lads have been playing very well. I have been and, now that I've come in and scored, hopefully I can stay in."

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