By Andy Warren

XI named for season-opener

Town boss Kieran McKenna has named his side for the opening game of the season at Sunderland. 

The starting XI at the Stadium of Light is made up entirely of players who featured during last season’s promotion from League One, though there are a couple of absentees.  

Vaclav Hladky starts in goal, with Christian Walton sidelined by a foot injury, while Harry Clarke misses out due to a suspension picked up on the final day of last season. 

George Hirst starts up front, having moved to Town permanently in the summer, while summer signings Cieran Slicker, Omari Hutchinson and Jack Taylor are all on the bench. 

Monthly TownTV subscribers can listen to audio commentary of this afternoon’s fixture, which is being televised live by Sky Sports. 

Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin, Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke, Hemir.

Substitutes: Bishop, Rigg, Triantis, Pritchard, Bennette, Ba, Gooch, Batth, Huggins.

Town: Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy, Luongo, Davis, Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst. 

Subs: Slicker, Leigh, Ball, Evans, Taylor, Harness, Hutchinson, Jackson, Ladapo.