Two Sunderland players walking suspension tightrope ahead of cut-off point

Sunderland's Jay Matete will have to tread carefully over the next week with the threat of a two-game suspension hanging over his head. The Black Cats midfielder has accumulated nine yellow cards in League One fixtures this season - six of which came while wearing the colours of his previous club Fleetwood Town - and he will face a ban if he reaches double figures before the cut-off point.

In the EFL, the cut-off point for ten bookings is at the conclusion of the 37th league fixture. Sunderland have played 35 games, meaning Matete must not receive another yellow card in either Saturday's game against Charlton Athletic at The Valley, or against his former club Fleetwood at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night if he is to avoid a two-match ban.

Only yellow cards collected in league games count towards the total and, in the Sunderland squad, that means that Carl Winchester is the only other player in danger of being handed a suspension.

Winchester has eight yellow cards to his name, and would therefore have to be booked against both Charlton and Fleetwood to trigger a suspension - although if he is booked against the Addicks, Sunderland boss Alex Neil could decide not to run the risk and instead leave him out on Tuesday night.

Neither Matete nor Winchester served one-match suspensions when they collected their fifth yellow cards of the campaign. They both picked up their fifth league bookings on December 18, in what was the 22nd league game of the season for both Fleetwood and Sunderland.

The cut-off point for five bookings in the EFL is the conclusion of the 19th league game. Tom Flanagan, who has since joined Shrewsbury Town, was the only Sunderland player to serve a one-match ban for accumulating five cautions.