SUNDERLAND boss Mick McCarthy last night insisted he would resist any approach from Celtic for Argentinian star Julio Arca.

Black Cats stalwart Michael Gray is due to return from a loan spell at Parkhead where he has failed to impress.

Celtic boss Martin O'Neill is now understood to be interested in fellow left-back Arca, who has missed Sunderland's last two matches through suspension.

But McCarthy said: "I've not heard anything from Celtic. I know Martin O'Neill well enough for him to give me a phone call if he is interested in Julio.

"He's already got one of our left-backs on loan and if he came on for Julio, I would politely tell him where to go!''

McCarthy was delighted with his side's 3-0 win over Bradford City yesterday, their biggest home success since he replaced Howard Wilkinson in March.

And he was fulsome in his praise of club skipper Jason McAteer and Tommy Smith.

McAteer opened the scoring just before half-time with a sublime strike and Smith netted his first goal for the club to double the lead in the 67th-minute before Kevin Kyle grabbed the third nine minutes from time.

McCarthy said: "Jason and I have been together a long time with our association here and with the Republic of Ireland. I gave him the captaincy when I got the job here, and he's come back from injury and come up with a couple of goals in the last three games.

"I was delighted for Tommy because he'd hit the post. Some people were getting a bit impatient with him, but I like Tommy and he has done well since he came here. He gives us good pace and works well with Marcus Stewart. It was nice for him to get his first goal.''

But McCarthy was unhappy with his side's sloppy spell in the second half, when goalkeeper Mart Poom made two vital saves to preserve a single-goal lead before Smith struck.

"Mart's saves were crucial,'' admitted McCarthy. "I think we deserved our lead at half-time, but for a ten-minute spell in the second half Bradford did well.''

Bryan Robson accused some of his Bradford players of "hiding'' after their relegation worries mounted.

The Bantams have now lost their last five matches without scoring and the former Middlesbrough boss confessed: "This is the hardest job I have ever had.

"Since I've been here the boys have done pretty well and people have been saying we've been unlucky.

"But there were no hard-luck stories here. I had too many players hiding who didn't want to pass or receive the ball and that's why you get a performance like that.

"We had two great chances in the second half and we should have got back into the game, but we didn't deserve that because I thought Sunderland were stronger and had more desire than us.

"We haven't scored a goal for five games, but I've got Alun Armstrong coming in and he's played in this division - he helped me get promotion when I was at Middlesbrough.''

* Sunderland midfielder Paul Thirlwell is almost certainly out of tomorrow's game at Rotherham after being forced off in the first half of yesterday's game with a calf strain.

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