Connor Wickham has insisted that he and his Sunderland teammates will not begin dreaming about survival until it is mathematically guaranteed.
Gus Poyet's side earned a much-needed 2-0 victory over fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday to move four points clear of the relegation zone.
The Black Cats came perilously close to dropping into the Championship last season, but Wickham, who opened the scoring against the Clarets, says that relegation is not an option this campaign either.
"You can never guarantee you are safe - you just have to look at last season. We were seven points adrift and then we managed to avoid it," he told reporters.
"I don't think anybody can guarantee safety until it's mathematical, so we are not even thinking about that.
"Obviously the aim is to stay in the Premier League and do the best we can, but I don't think - well, for me personally, relegation has never crossed my mind, so it shouldn't for the team either."
Jermain Defoe was also on target in Saturday's win - his first goal since joining the club from Toronto FC earlier this month.
Shane Callaghan
