Sunderland’s home Championship fixture against Watford tonight is set to go ahead as planned despite a major power failure at the Stadium of Light this week. The Black Cats have released a statement saying a power failure affected the stadium on Monday afternoon, with club staff and partners working ’round the clock’ to ensure this evening’s game can go ahead.
The fixture, which is being televised by Sky Sports, will kick-off at 7.45pm as scheduled. But the club has warned that the after-effects of the power cut may impact supporters, in particular in respect of the availability of some refreshments at the concourse kiosks, and also with longer-than-usual queues in some areas of the stadium.
The club has also been contacting supporters with tickets for the Black Cats Bar, advising them that no hot food will be available in that area and offering an alternative. The statement went on to thank supporters ‘for your patience and understanding in advance’.
The full statement read: ‘Following a major power failure at the Stadium of Light on Monday afternoon, club staff and partners have worked around the clock to ensure tonight’s fixture will proceed as planned. Supporters are advised that this may have an impact on matchday experience tonight and we thank you for your patience and understanding in advance.
‘Disruption to concourse kiosks may impact the availability of some refreshments and could result in longer queues in certain areas of the stadium. Black Cats Bar attendees have also been contacted directly to advise them of changes to their matchday experience, with an alternative offering in place due to hot food not being served in that space.
‘We once again thank our dedicated club staff and partners for their hard work over the past 48 hours and we continue to appreciate the understanding shown by our supporters.’
Tony Mowbray’s side go into tonight’s game sitting fourth in the Championship table, and if they beat the Hornets they could close to within a point of third-placed Preston North End.
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