Whitehead targets mid-table

Black Cats looking to progress after three wins on the trot

Last updated: 9th April 2008

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Whitehead: Ambition

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Dean Whitehead says Sunderland are now 'thinking more about the clubs above us than below' after three successive victories.

Roy Keane's men have been struggling in and around the relegation zone for the majority of the season, but are now in 13th and 10 points clear of Bolton in 18th after wins against Aston Villa, West Ham and Sunderland.

And while Whitehead knows the battle for survival is not done and dusted yet, he says escaping relegation will be the club's biggest achievement since he arrived in 2004.

"It was a great achievement winning the title last season, especially after the start we had, but staying in the Premier League would beat that," he told the Sunderland Echo.

"Things have been up and down since I came here. I'm proud of the two promotions and winning the Championship twice.

"They were the high points so far, but I want to be a Premier League player for a few years and this club needs to be a Premier League club, so staying up and giving ourselves something to build on would be the biggest achievement so far."

He added: "To go into the last five games of the season thinking more about the clubs above us than below is a nice position to be in."

Injuries

Whitehead is one of a number of Sunderland players to have suffered a long-term injury this season and, while only Dickson Etuhu, Ross Wallace and Darren Ward are currently sidelined, he believes having so many players out has been a major problem for the club this season.

"Every club has injuries, but they do seem to have hit us quite hard this season.

"Even when I got myself fit, it took me a while to get into my stride again because you can't just walk back into the Premier League and expect to turn it on straight away.

"I know I'm feeling a lot better with a few games under my belt now and other lads like Andy Reid, Kieran Richardson and Carlos Edwards will feel the same after the injuries they've had.

"When you've just been promoted, you can't really afford too many injuries because the clubs that come up often haven't got the big squads that more established clubs have."