Thursday 25 February 2016 10:41, UK
Sunderland striker Dame N'Doye says he is confident he will avoid back-to-back relegations from the Premier League.
N'Doye has returned to the top flight after being relegated with former club Hull at the end of last season. But, having seen what Sunderland have to offer since his arrival from Trabzonspor in January, the Senegal international believes the Black Cats will not follow his old club into the Championship.
"I believe (Sunderland will stay up) because of the atmosphere in the dressing room. The lads are very concentrated and they have a strong mind that they will stay up. That is very important.
"The team spirit was strong at Hull also because everybody was working hard and they didn't believe they were going down. Every year, you work hard to stay in the Premier League. Nobody expects to go down, but three teams have to go.
"I don't want to be relegated two seasons in a row. I did not want to be relegated at Hull, but now I have to forget about that and concentrate on this new challenge and keeping Sunderland up."
Sunderland sit 19th in the table as they prepare to take on manager Sam Allardyce's former club West Ham on Saturday. But they go into the game having lost just one of their last four and knowing a point could be enough to lift them out of the bottom three.