Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has said that his side will need one more purple patch of form if they are going to beat the drop from the Premier League.

Crunch time

The Black Cats survival hopes were handed yet another blow on Tuesday, when a single goal from Sergio Aguero giving Manchester City the three points at the Stadium of Light.

The defeat leaves Sunderland in the relegation zone four points from fourth-bottom Norwich City and with just 14 games left in the season; time is beginning to run out.

Hope won’t be lost however, as the Black Cats have managed to pull off miraculous feats in the last three years, which has seen them survive picking up eight, 13 and nine points respectively in their final six matches.

Allardyce will be hoping that it won’t come that close to the wire but admitted that his side will have to produce a similar run of good form - like in the previous three campaigns - if they are to secure their top-flight status.

Allardyce has been bullish about Sunderland's survival hopes from day one. | Image source: Dream Team FC
Allardyce has been bullish about Sunderland's survival hopes from day one. | Image source: Dream Team FC

Allardyce told The Chronicle that “results need to start on Saturday” when they take on Liverpool, and that the Black Cats can’t let any more matches “slip away” without “getting results”.

He added that it’s getting close to the point in the campaign when games are becoming “must-win”, which he says is not where he wants to be but believes that the club are “close to facing that fact”.

He then said that they will have to have a run where they win “three games out of four, or four out of five”.

Following the Foxes

Sunderland weren’t the only side that had a strong finish last season that saved them from relegation with current league leaders Leicester City winning seven of their last nine to finish six points clear of danger.

Allardyce said that Sunderland’s survival was “overshadowed” by the Foxes late run and believes that somebody will put a run together and the Black Cats “have to make sure” that it is them.

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About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.