Sunderland manager Chris Coleman has claimed that survival in the Championship is in their own hands after drawing 0-0 against league leaders Wolves.
The Black Cats were forced to play the final half an hour of the game with just ten men on the pitch at Molineux on Saturday, with midfielder Lee Cattermole being dismissed after receiving two yellow cards in less than a minute.
The draw keeps Sunderland in 23rd place in the table, but it moves them a point clear of bottom placed side Burton Albion and just a point away from safety.
Former Wales manager Coleman, who only took charge of the Mackems last month, said that their is enough time for them to turn their season around.
“I think we are always confident because there is a lot of games and a lot of points to play for so I am confident that we can get out of trouble”, said Coleman.
“It is going to be a long, hard season, we know that, but it is literally game by game.
“The good thing is, it is in our own hands. There is enough games, enough points to get us away from where we are and there is enough time. The sooner we do that of course, the better that everybody is going to feel.”
Wolves came close to scoring a winner late on in the match, but a defiant Sunderland defence prevented Wolves from scoring at home for the first time in the league since April.
Sunderland have gained five points in their last five games and Coleman feels that to gain points, his side will sometimes have to play unflattering football.
He said: “That is all we can do, that is where we are and the very least we can do is battle.
“We may have to win one nil; to win one nil, we need to know how to keep a clean sheet.
“Sometimes that is playing ugly, not looking the best but I don’t care about that. All I care about is getting results and making sure we get away from where we are.”
Sunderland are next in action on Saturday at home to Fulham. If they fail to beat Coleman’s former side, it will mean they would have not won a home league game in over 12 months.
