Sunderland forward Connor Wickham has claimed that his side are in a "positive position" in the Premier League despite lingering just three points clear of the relegation zone.
The Black Cats' relegation woes were heightened last week in a 4-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at the Stadium of Light to put them in severe danger of the drop to the Championship.
However, Wickham is optimistic over the club's future and believes that they should be looking up the league rather than at the prospect of relegation.
"It has been a long season so far but we're in a positive position," Wickham told the club's official website. "We didn't have a good result last weekend but we have been playing well under the new head coach and we can use this week to make sure our preparation is right for the next game.
"We will keep an eye on the results that occur around us and we can use it to our advantage, because going into next weekend we will know exactly what we need to produce.
"That said, we're not looking down the table because the league is so tight that if can win one game you can move up three places. There are a lot of points still to play for so hopefully we can move up the table."
Sunderland are next in action in the Premier League on April 25 against Stoke City.
Simon Sinclair
