SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid was so delighted with his team's performance in the 3-0 victory at Blackburn on Boxing Day he took the uncharacteristic step of announcing that he will be sticking to an unchanged team for the third game in a row at Ipswich this afternoon.

The Wearside boss usually keeps everyone guessing about his starting line-up and recently he has experimented with a lone-striker system away from home - with disastrous results at Leicester and Southampton.

But at Ewood Park he stuck to his trusted 4-4-2 formation, keeping faith in the players who had not played particularly well in the 1-0 home defeat of Everton four days earlier and was rewarded with the best away performance of the season.

Reid had suggested at the start of a hectic holiday programme that he might have to share first team duties amongst his squad, but now it looks as though he could play a settled side after winning six precious points.

He said: "I know I intimated that I might make changes share the load among the players but I would be loathe to change things after such a good performance at Blackburn. I think if I made changes there would be some really disappointed players if I changed it."

Reid admitted: "It was the best away performance of the season. We looked really solid at the back after the first five or ten minutes.

"After that I didn't feel as though we were under any pressure and certainly some of the football we played was really good stuff."

Reid has suspected that his players could turn the corner away from home, though he was far from happy with a run of four consecutive away defeats, including a rock-bottom display at Southampton.

He said: "I've always said that after playing well against the likes of Chelsea, Leeds and Arsenal at home there was no reason you can't go away from home and do the same - it's the same pitch and you are still playing on grass."

Reid, however, does not under-estimate the task at Portman Road against an Ipswich side on a high after lifting themselves away from the bottom of the table with victories over Tottenham and Leicester.

He said: "Ipswich have had major injury problems. If you asked their manager, George Burley, or any of the Ipswich fans about last year, when they had no injury problems and this year, when they have lost their leading goalscorer and have had another three or four quality players missing it has taken its toll.

"It is difficult when you haven't got a top class squad and I mean not having strength in depth."

Reid is particularly pleased with the partnerships of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips up front and the new central midfield combination of USA skipper Claudio Reyna and England international Gavin McCann.

He said: "People keep writing off Niall but he keeps coming back and besides his goals his general performances have been tremendous. Quinny and Kevin Phillips are still a formidable partnership.

"Claudio Reyna and Gavin McCann seem to complement each over in midfield. Claudio is one of those players who knits things together in the middle of the park and in the three games he has had he's been a massive bonus for us."

* A late hitch in the paperwork yesterday prevented midfielder Thomas Butler joining Swindon Town

Read more about Sunderland AFC here.