AS if Sunderland fans have not witnessed enough bad jokes this season, tomorrow's trip to Manchester will subject them to the return of "Little and Large".

Fans of family-friendly 1980s comedy should not get too excited, though, as this weekend's Premiership clash will not be preceded by a guest appearance from Syd and Eddie at their beloved Manchester City.

Instead, the "Little and Large" in question are strikers Stephen Elliott and Kevin Kyle and, two-and-a-half-years after the break-up of Kevin Phillips' partnership with Niall Quinn, Mick McCarthy is finally ready to unveil Sunderland's latest attacking combination.

With a legion of critics predicting a record points low, he will no doubt be hoping they enable him to finish the season enjoying the last laugh.

"They are our little and large combination," said midfielder Liam Lawrence, now a team-mate of Elliott's in the Republic of Ireland international side. "And I suppose they're like Phillips and Quinn were when they were here.

"Not that I want to put pressure on them of course but, if they could get anywhere near those two, that would be smashing.

"It makes a big difference to finally have Stephen back. We've missed him a lot because he's such a big threat.

"When I was away with Ireland, I saw he had something different and was able to bring something fresh to the team.

"He's sharp, he's tricky and he's hard to get the ball off. It comes off his knees and bounces for him and all sorts.

"Last season, there was a lot of talk about him playing up front with Kevin. They will get their chance together now and, hopefully, we will see what they can do."

Despite spending almost two full seasons together at the Stadium of Light, Kyle and Elliott have never started a game alongside each other.

Elliott was on the bench when Kyle kicked off five of Sunderland's first six games last season, while the Scotsman was still recovering from a hip injury when his team-mate made 11 appearances in the first three months of this campaign.

They have both been missed in different ways, with Kyle's long-term lay-off depriving Sunderland of a powerful physical presence and Elliott's troublesome back removing a proven goalscoring threat.

"We haven't missed them as a partnership, but we've certainly missed them individually," said McCarthy, who has watched Jon Stead, Andy Gray and Daryl Murphy muster just two goals between them in the first 27 games of this season.

"We looked at the playing staff at the end of last season and thought, 'Who are the players that could step up and hack it in the Premiership?'

"Kyler was injured, but we thought he could because he's done it before. We certainly thought Stephen Elliott was one and, earlier in the season, I think he proved what he was capable of.

"We know what they can do, but we can't expect them to do it straight away. Kyler's come back and he's been remarkable after 18 months out of the game. His performances, his fitness level and his stoicism have said everything about his character.

"But last week was probably his least effective performance. We expect so much of him. We expect him to be playing like he was when he was fully-fit two seasons ago. That doesn't happen.

"Kevin and Stephen could be playing together (tomorrow), but we have to be careful about how much we expect from them."

Elliott's recovery stepped up another notch this week when he played in the first 48 minutes of Ireland's 3-0 win over Sweden.

The 21-year-old has played just 45 minutes of Premiership football since Bonfire Night, but is hoping to explode into life when he makes his eagerly-awaited return to Manchester City tomorrow.

Former City boss Kevin Keegan deemed him surplus to requirements 18 months ago, paving the way for McCarthy to take him to Wearside in a £125,000 deal.

This weekend's game gives him the first opportunity to show his former employers what they are missing.

"I know he'll be thrilled to be involved," said McCarthy. "He was trying to get involved when we were playing Manchester City reserves earlier this season, but it just came a bit too soon for him.

"We all have something to prove - not just Stephen Elliott - but he obviously knows a lot of the lads we're going to be playing against.

"Manchester City are doing well. They'll not be looking back - all teams make some good signings and lose some good players, that's just the way football clubs are.

"Stephen will want to show them what they're missing. Manchester City fought tooth and nail to keep him at the end, but we were fortunate enough to be able to persuade him to sign for Sunderland."

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