Concussed Dennis Cirkin didn't know he'd scored at Millwall, says Tony Mowbray

What's the latest on Dennis Cirkin after his equaliser for Sunderland against Millwall?

Author:
Michael Graham
Publish date:
Feb 4, 2023 8:18 PM EST

Dennis Cirkin did not realise he had scored for Sunderland at Millwall, Tony Mowbray has confirmed.

Cirkin salvaged a fighting point for Sunderland at The Den, heading home an 81^st-minute equaliser from a fine Alex Pritchard delivery.

He got a punch to the face for his troubles, though, as the Millwall goalkeeper attempted to get there first.

There was immediate concern for Cirkin from his Sunderland teammates, and Mowbray confirmed after the game that the defender has suffered a head injury.

"He's got a genuine, real concussion,” Mowbray said of Cirkin after the game.

"He was out cold on the pitch for a while but he's awake now. He's a bit dazed in there and he's not sure he'd even scored. It's brilliant that Dennis was so brave, he's done that before this season and scored a great header coming in.

“It helped us get a point in a game that we found really hard to create good chances against a team packed with huge guys at the back.

“It's ironic really that we scored from a set play. Everybody's fine, it's a good lesson for this team to know that every football match isn't just a football match and there are different ways to play the game."

Cirkin will now miss the FA Cup replay against Fulham as concussion protocol demands at least six days before a diagnosis and a return to playing.

"He's fine. He's been out for a while now like Alex Pritchard and we're pleased for them to get back out there and contribute to the equaliser.

"Dennis will have to go through the concussion protocols now. He'll miss our FA Cup game as does that, the doctors tell me that if he passes certain tests he might be able to play next weekend but we'll just have to wait and see on that one."

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