SUNDERLAND have received a timely double boost after Adam Johnson and Steven Fletcher were both passed fit to return to the squad for tomorrow’s game at Bournemouth.

The Black Cats head to the Vitality Stadium still looking for their first league victory of the season after last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham extended their winless run to five games.

Johnson has been sidelined since damaging his shoulder in the wake of the opening-day defeat at Leicester, while Fletcher was forced to sit out the Spurs defeat after picking up a knock in training.

The pair have recovered sufficiently to return to full training though, and will be part of the squad that heads to the south coast later today.

“Johnson is back in the squad,” confirmed head coach Dick Advocaat. “It is a definitely a big boost because it is not only about 11 players, during the season you need 20 players.

“Steven Fletcher is also back in the squad. Jordi (Gomez), like some others, needs games, so it is good that next Tuesday we have another game against Manchester City (in the Capital One Cup).”

Adam Matthews remains unavailable as he recovers from an ankle injury, while Duncan Watmore is also expected to miss out tomorrow as he battles against an illness.

Watmore has been one of the few success stories of the season so far, and was being considered for a starting spot prior to picking up an illness earlier this week.

DeAndre Yedlin is available to make his first appearance in a Sunderland squad after the terms of his loan move meant he was ineligible for last weekend’s game with Spurs.

“It is not nice to say, but the majority of the players we bought were not training and not in the team, so they did not play games and that is the reason we took them,” added Advocaat. “They are good players, but they need more time.”