Sunderland fans heading to Selhurst Park face travel disruption this weekend with key advice issued ahead of the Crystal Palace clash
Sunderland are set to take a bumper away following to Selhurst Park this Saturday as Régis Le Bris’ side face Crystal Palace in the Premier League, but supporters are being urged to plan ahead with travel disruption expected on matchday.
The Black Cats head to south London on Saturday, 13 September (kick-off 3pm BST) looking to continue their positive start to the season, having collected six points from their opening three games. Supporters travelling to Selhurst Park have been advised that, due to planned engineering works, no trains will call at Norwood Junction on Saturday. Fans are instead encouraged to make use of additional services to Thornton Heath and Selhurst stations.
The closure of Norwood Junction is expected to cause increased crowding on alternative routes, with queues likely at key stations due to the additional demand. Following supporter feedback, Selhurst Park turnstiles will now open two hours before kick-off (from 1pm BST) on matchdays, giving fans extra time to enter the stadium ahead of the 3pm start.
Sunderland have reminded supporters to check their travel routes before setting off and aim to arrive as early as possible to avoid potential delays. With Sunderland expected to sell out their away allocation, the atmosphere at Selhurst Park promises to be lively as the Black Cats aim to secure their first Premier League points on the road after losing their only away fixture so far at Burnley.
Régis Le Bris on Sunderland’s chances of survival
The Frenchman has overseen an encouraging start to the season, which has seen his side win two of their first three matches – beating West Ham and Brentford in front of more than 45,000 fans at the Stadium of Light – while suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Burnley. They now face a tough test on the road against Crystal Palace next weekend.
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"I'm really positive, really positive because one of the main challenges when you get promoted like that is to strengthen the squad, and it's not an easy task because the investment, the way you work together to recruit so many new players, is a massive challenge, and I think so far we are really good," Le Bris said.
"I'm thinking about the owner, the sporting direction, the recruitment structure and everyone who was involved in that process. I think it's really impressive. After that, obviously, you have to face new challenges and to put into practice the quality of the squad, and it's a process. At the minute, I'm happy. After that, we'll see throughout the season."
Sunderland invested heavily during the summer transfer window to reshape the squad, with more than £150million spent to give Le Bris the tools to compete in the top flight. Among the standout arrivals was Switzerland international Granit Xhaka, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth around £17.5million.
Asked if he could have imagined such backing when he took charge, Le Bris admitted: "I don't know. It's a good question. I'm happy, I repeat, I'm happy with the process, the energy of the club, the ambition, the desire to seize this opportunity. We know that to grow as a club in this league, it's a tough challenge. It's not linear, so we don't know what will happen in the future. But right now, at the minute, we can feel that we are well-organised and ambitious."
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