Gary Breen returns to first-team duty at Rotherham on Monday - and his Sunderland team-mates can't wait to have the skipper back.

The Black Cats have conceded just one goal while the Republic of Ireland centre-back has served a three-match suspension following his sending off in the game against Sheffield United this month.

But, according to midfielder Carl Robinson, the team have still missed both his footballing and leadership qualities on the pitch.

Robinson said: "We've missed him because he's a quality player.

"He's our captain, he's our leader. We've picked up two draws and a win but Gary Breen is a quality international footballer.

"Any team in this division would want him and any team in this division would miss him and we're no different."

Robinson did, however, have words of encouragement for his replacement, Neil Collins, who has stepped into the beach following his move from Scottish Second Division side Dumbarton.

The 20-year-old has played in all three games since Breen was banned, with the Sunderland defence breached just once in 270 minutes of football.

"The young lad Neil Collins has come in and he's done superbly and let's not forget that," said Robinson.

"He's kept two clean sheets but Breen is a big influence for us and it will be great to have him back."

The form of the Sunderland back-line has impressed Robinson, particularly the form of goalkeeper Mart Poom.

Poom was instrumental in Sunderland earning a point in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw at Watford, pulling off an excellent last-minute save to deny Danny Webber a winner.

This followed another top-class performance against Millwall on Saturday, and Robinson rates him as the best in the division.

"He was superb again at Watford," said Robinson. "He pulled off a fantastic save at the end against Watford when they caught us as we tried to break.

"There's some good keepers in the division but in my opinion there's not a better one.

"He's up there with the best. He's a big lad, he's a big presence and he's got everything.

"As long as he continues in the sort of form he's shown recently then we'll be happy."

The point ensured that Sunderland's recent good run continued - the Black Cats have now lost just once in their last nine League games - and they maintained their position on the tails of the division's pace-setters.

Robinson said: "We've been playing well but I still feel we can play better.

"There are a lot of teams up there and a lot of teams are playing each other up at the top over the next couple of weeks.

"It's important we pick up as many points as we can."

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