Connor Wickham says Sunderland will avoid relegation

Connor Wickham says Sunderland will avoid relegation despite dropping into the Premier League's bottom three on Saturday.

Wickham scored on Saturday as Sunderland battled to a 1-1 draw at Stoke, but victories for Hull and Leicester meant the Black Cats slipped from 16th to 18th in the table.

The 22-year-old, who was a key man in the club's successful survival bid last term, is convinced there is enough quality in the squad to keep the club in the top flight.

Wickham said: "There are only five games left, but it is still a long way to go.

"And although it is going to be difficult, I think we have more than enough talent in the changing room to take on the teams we have got to play and get the points we need to stay safe."

Wickham believes Saturday's performance against Stoke is a good indicator that Sunderland can stay up.

Although it is going to be difficult, I think we have more than enough talent in the changing room to take on the teams we have got to play and get the points we need to stay safe

He added: "I think the way we performed in the second half, if we keep doing that from now until the end of the season, we will be more than fine.

"In the first half, after scoring, maybe we should have attacked and tried to take them on a bit more.

"But I think we can be proud with the way we performed in the second half - even if we are a bit disappointed we didn't come away with three points, as we had numerous chances to score.

"We need to start the next game [Saturday's home clash with Southampton] as we finished the Stoke one."