Ball will apply for Cats job

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Kevin Ball will be among the first applicants when the Sunderland manager’s job comes up for grabs at the end of the season.

The former Black Cats captain was appointed caretaker boss until the end of the disastrous current campaign following the dismissal of Mick McCarthy and though his first three matches have ended in defeat and without a goal scored, his enthusiasm and determination for the post on a permanent basis has not waned.

Defeat at Goodison Park on Saturday and victory for West Brom against Liverpool at The Hawthorns will confirm the club’s relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship.

But Ball refuses to throw the towel in and will again demand all-out effort from his much-maligned underachievers to attempt to stave off the inevitable for as long as mathematically possible.

"Since I have stepped into the race I have thoroughly enjoyed it and I know I can do the job," he said.

"In some ways you can say I am on trial, but I am comfortable with the job.

"In terms of how I feel about this job come the end of the season, I would be a fool not to throw my hat into the ring. If it’s a case of me going back to the academy, I would have no qualms about that.

"There are more important things at this moment in time, but this is something I have always wanted to do and it has not crossed my mind what will happen when we go down.
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"I’ve got grey hair and my hair is falling out so I haven’t got to worry on that side of things - it comes with the territory.

"That’s all down the line - what concerns me is the Everton game. I am aware of our situation but if we do the right things at Everton, relegation is going to happen tomorrow.

"Some people might say we are staving off the inevitable but the way I look at it is we have a game tomorrow to win and that’s as far as I am thinking."

Ball made four changes for last week’s home defeat by Blackburn and injuries will force him to shuffle the pack again with central defender and newly-appointed skipper Steven Caldwell ruled out with a hamstring tendon problem and Julio Arca almost certainly missing with a hamstring injury.