Paolo Di Canio happy with battling point

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has insisted that his side can be content with taking a point from this afternoon's 1-1 draw with Southampton.

The Mackems edged ahead in the relegation battle thanks to Phil Bardsley, but Saints equalised late on to earn a share of the spoils through substitute Jason Puncheon.

After putting all the pressure on Wigan Athletic in the fight for survival, Di Canio believes that today's result will prove enough to avoid the dreaded drop.

He told Sky Sports News: "It is a good point because obviously we didn't play a fantastic match. Southampton did a better job than us so it's obvious at the end of the game it's a very important point.

"It's a crazy table with a lot of congested clubs on 41 points. We knew before that it was important to get the point we'll need to stay up."

"In the second half our performance improved and that means our physical condition and desire is still there, which is important. In a few weeks you can't improve everything but it's important we keep believing in what we are doing to stay up."

Di Canio's side sit four points above Wigan ahead of a crunch clash on Tuesday night as the Latics face Arsenal at the Emirates.