REECE JAMES is available again for Sunderland’s top of the table tussle with League One leaders Portsmouth on Saturday.

The Black Cats left-back was withdrawn from last weekend’s game with Bristol Rovers after suffering an ankle problem in the warm-up. His place went to Bryan Oviedo.

But James is available for the long trip to the south coast, while manager Jack Ross is keeping an eye on another couple of injury worries – including Tom Flanagan who missed the Rovers game with a knock.

Ross said: “We have a couple of potential worries, we will assess on Friday. By and large it’s the same situation, Reece James is back. Already we have seen we have rotated the squad during busy periods so it’s understandable we will freshen up for these games coming up.”

Sunderland are now five points behind leaders Portsmouth ahead of the meeting at a sell-out Fratton Park, which would have been a Premier League fixture not too long ago.

Ross said: “It’s like all games, individually they will not define a season unless it’s the final game where the outcome determines a finish. In the middle of a season, games can take on significance so I will not shy away from that given where we are and Portsmouth are.

“How I am, at the moment. I would try to judge myself against success. To contradict that slightly, I would think we are slightly further ahead than maybe we thought after the summer we had.

“Because the club was in a huge transition through the whole club, those things impact on the football side of things. We wanted to try to be in and around the top seven around now and then push on in January, so I would think we are slightly ahead.”