Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has urged his teammates to "build" upon yesterday's 1-1 draw with rivals Newcastle United.

The Black Cats looked to be heading for a 1-0 defeat until Newcastle frontman Demba Ba put through his own net with five minutes of the encounter remaining.

Having claimed an unlikely point, Mignolet feels that the time is now right for Sunderland to record a string of positive results.

"It is a more positive point than the one when we drew at St James's last season," he told reporters. "Then we were the ones conceding at the end, but now it is us who have saved the draw.

"Hopefully, we can use that. If you lose against Newcastle, then the lads are going to be disappointed and the confidence will drop.

"Now we can build on the start we have made to the season."

Sunderland are currently 14th in the Premier League table.

Written by
Liam Apicella