STEVEN FLETCHER has passed a late fitness test to take his place for Sunderland in a crucial rearranged Premier League fixture with Reading tonight.

Scottish striker Fletcher has recovered from an ankle problem which prevented him from facing Chelsea on Saturday, meaning Connor Wickham only finds himself on the bench.

The only other notable change is that full-back Phil Bardsley has been omitted. Bardsley has been listed among the substitutes, with Craig Gardner the likely man to slot in at right-back.

Sunderland head in to the fixture knowing three points are required to climb out of the bottom three, having dropped in after winning just two of their opening 15 Premier League games.

But Reading, four points shy of the Black Cats, are in desperate need of the points themselves to give their hopes of staying in the top-flight a boost.

SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Gardner, O'Shea, Cuellar, Rose; Larsson, Colback; Johnson, Sessegnon, McClean; Fletcher. Subs: Bardsley, Campbell, Wickham, Kilgallon, Vaughan, Westwood (gk), Bramble.

READING (4-4-2): Federici; Cummings, Mariappa, Pearce, Shorey; McCleary, Tabb, Leigertwood, McAnuff; Le Fondre, Hunt. Subs: Ggunter, Gorkss, Harte, Gunnarsson, Obita, Taylor (gk), Samuel.