Dean Whitehead has warned his team-mates that even the smallest slip-up could leave them in danger of the drop.
Whitehead acknowledges the dangers of how close the table is
Sunderland midfielder Dean Whitehead has warned his team-mates that even the smallest slip-up could leave them in danger of the drop.
The Black Cats currently sit 13th in the Premier League table three points off the relegation places.
But with just six points separating ninth-placed Fulham and Tottenham in 18th could see a number of sides dragged back into the relegation dogfight.
Sunderland salvaged a draw from near neighbours Middlesbrough on Saturday with Kenwyne Jones cancelling out Alfonso Alves' opener in the 84th minute.
Ricky Sbragia's men could have claimed all three points late on had Adam Johnson not headed Carlos Edwards' header off the line and Tony McMahon not slid in to prevent Djibril Cisse from having a clear shot at goal.
"There are plenty of teams (in trouble), probably the whole of the bottom half and maybe a couple in the top half," Whitehead stated.
Tight
"It's very tight. A couple of wins and you could be out of it, but a couple of bad results and you could be struggling.
"It's a very tight league and we were delighted to get a point on Saturday. With the league being so tight, three points is vital, especially against the teams around us.
"But it was vital we went to Middlesbrough and didn't lose, and we were quite unlucky not to win in the end."
Although losing would have been harsh on Boro Whitehead admits that his team-mates were a little deflated they did not take maximum points from The Riverside.
"We were away from home in a local derby and as long as we didn't lose it was a positive result for us," he added.
"At half-time, we might have settled for it, but after getting the goal and having a few half chances cleared off the line, we were a little bit disappointed.
"The dressing room was really down at the end having pushed them to the wire, but overall, we were happy with a point."
