Sunderland fans could be forgiven for keeping one eye on the weather forecast as they set out for Accrington on Tuesday.
The Black Cats fans had to repeat their trip to the North West last season after the original league fixture was called off midway through the second half due to torrential rain.
Jack Ross' side comfortably won the rearranged game 3-0 back in April, but with more wet weather predicted this week, it's no surprise supporters will have an eye on the sky this week.
But they need not fear, as Stanley have laid a new pitch over the summer at the Wham Stadium - and this week's Carabao Cup fixture with the Black Cats will be the first to be played on it.
Accrington's game at home to Bury was postponed due to the financial situation at the Shakers, and manager John Coleman can't wait to get out on the new-look surface against Sunderland - although he is well aware of the size of the task his side faces.
Stanley lost to Lincoln on the opening weekend, but Coleman is looking for a better showing when the Wearsiders come to town.
“I’m glad to get back on home soil and play a game at the Wham Stadium, obviously with the new pitch," Coleman told Accrington's official website.
“It’s an added incentive for us to enjoy it and we’ll only enjoy it if we can get a positive result, so that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.
“It’s going to be difficult we know that, we had a couple of good games against them last year and what we’ve got to try and do now is put the disappointment of the Lincoln game behind us and try and kick on.
“As I said it’s going to be a tough game, but we’ve got players who are realising the way we play now.
“We have to learn from it, and hopefully the players will learn from it, I know the players are dying to get back out on to the pitch and try and write a few wrongs from that game.
“Offrande Zanzala isn’t far away now from returning, and we’ve got a lot of attacking options with Sean (McConville), Jordan (Clark), Wilson (Carvalho), Erico (De Sousa) and Joe (Pritchard).
“We’ve got a lot of attacking options and it’s a good position to be in.”
