Grabban: One win can kick-start our season

Lewis Grabban admits Sunderland are where they deserve to be in the Championship table – but remains confident that victory over Brentford tomorrow can transform their season.

Sunderland are 23rd, three points from safety, with more than a quarter of the campaign gone.

The Black Cats have only managed one league win, the 3-1 victory over Norwich City in early August, but Grabban is confident that the tide will soon turn in Sunderland’s favour.

Grabban, back from a hamstring injury, said: “You can’t say it’s a false position. “We are where we are in the table. “Obviously, if we do the right things and play to our ability, we shouldn’t be where we are, but so far we haven’t done that. I think the gaffer has made that point a few times – it only takes one game to turn it around.

“The Barnsley game was a bit of a shock, but maybe also a reality check that you can get beat by teams people think are maybe lesser than yourselves, and I think you have to take every game as it is and not underestimate people, maybe we did that game.

“If you get on a run, people can forget how bad things were at the start of the season.

“That has probably happened every season – there’s a team that’s underachieving but then kick on at some point and are able to maintain that high level.”

Sunderland have twice fought back from going behind in their last two games against Preston and QPR to salvage a point.

Grabban added: “Every game you need to start well, you need to do the right things and you have to maintain it, but if a team scores they score.

“It doesn’t mean that you’ve lost the game. We need to keep calm and keep working hard – if you get the equaliser then maybe you can go on and get the winner.”