WANDERERS were today counting the cost of a crushing victory at the Stadium of Light.
Not only did they lose 1-0 to a Jason McAteer-inspired Sunderland, but they also lost key defender Mike Whitlow with a broken rib and top scorer Michael Ricketts with a twisted ankle.
And with only nine games left to mount a survival mission, they are problems manager Sam Allardyce admits he can ill afford.
"They are damaging blows for us if they are going to be out for any considerable period," the manager conceded.
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