JEFF WHITLEY, one of Sunderland's Sleeping Beauties, has promised his "100 alarm clocks" will ensure his membership of the Wide Awake Club for tonight's tricky Carling Cup trip to Mansfield Town.

The midfielder is scheduled to make a belated Sunderland debut at Field Mill after his passable impression of Rip van Winkle cost him a place in the team against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Whitley, 28, is desperate to make up for lost time, having spent four months at the Stadium of Light before he was given a long-term contract with the club.

But after he and roommate Sean Thornton grabbed an extra 40 winks on Saturday morning, and lost the chance to play at the City Ground as a result, Whitley wants to show this evening why Mick McCarthy was so keen to sign him.

He said: "On Friday night, I rang for an alarm call for 8.45am the next day after the electricity had come back on at the hotel.

"But we didn't get the wake-up call, and we eventually got up at about 10.30am.

"I rang reception to find out why we hadn't got the wake-up call, and they said the system was down because the electricity had been off.

"I was absolutely devastated that we weren't involved, and we apologise sincerely to the fans and the manager.

"Sitting in the stand at Forest, knowing we could have been involved, was heartbreaking.

"But you've got to respect the manager's choice and we knew we had to pay the consequences.

"We'll go down to Mansfield on Wednesday morning and then we'll have a little sleep in the afternoon.

"But what happened on Saturday won't happen this time because I went out at the weekend and bought 100 alarm clocks!"

McCarthy revealed yesterday that he will make a number of changes for tonight's first round tie - and Whitley and Thornton are almost certain to start the game.

Captain Jason McAteer and defender Joachim Bjorklund are both likely to miss the match with minor injuries, but McCarthy has put Saturday's faux pas by his two midfielders behind him.

He said: "Jeff Whitley and Sean Thornton will be involved. They probably have made an extra effort in training, but I don't expect that to happen just when the manager might be a little bit upset with them.

"I'm not upset with them, though; it happened, it was dealt with, and we move on. That's the way I am."

McCarthy will not field an under-strength side this evening as Sunderland seek their first win in a competitive fixture since February.

He said: "I'll be treating the game like I want to win it. I don't think we're in a position where we can treat it any other way, though I will be making changes.

"The secret to winning is make sure we're as committed as Mansfield. This is a great fixture for them; we're a plum draw."

McCarthy is still hopeful of signing Colin Healy, even though he has started a trial at Leeds United.

Leeds manager Peter Reid stepped in after Sunderland, who agreed terms with the midfielder last week, were caught up in a wrangle over the possibility of paying compensation to his former club Celtic that required the intervention of FIFA.

The Sunderland manager added: "We've now done everything we can. An offer's been made to him and he's passed a medical here.

"I don't think the FIFA thing is an issue now; we just need an agreement really."

Bolton Wanderers want to sign Emerson Thome, who was given a free transfer by Sunderland at the end of last season.

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce said: "I've made some progress but there are still some delicate negotiations to be resolved this week.

"I want to bring in at least two players before the end of the month."

Tore Andre Flo's year has gone from bad to worse: he was yesterday left out of the Norway squad for next Wednesday's friendly with Scotland in Oslo.

Flo's agent indicated recently that the striker would be happy to sit in the reserves and pick up his wages, despite the club's huge debts.

But Norway coach Nils Johan Semb told Flo that he would be in the international cold until he leaves Sunderland.

Semb said: "Tore Andre is in a special situation. He plays well and scores goals, but is probably out because of political reasons.

"If he gets a new club and starts playing quickly, he will be a candidate for next month's game with Bosnia."