Head Coach Lee Johnson has spoken to the press ahead of Sunderland’s crucial clash against Wigan Athletic which has been branded as a must win game.
PROMOTION RACE
"We've had no new injuries and so we want to go to Wigan and take the three points, there are still 21 left available, we want to get back on the horse as quickly as possible and try and get the desired result. We knew there'd be setbacks along the way, we've had to come from a long way behind and this division is not easy. Everybody is fighting for different things; you've seen on Saturday that battle for fifth and sixth is a scrap in itself. We need to go into the Wigan game better than we were today in our concentration, really, and doing our jobs. We can't give one goal away for something stupid. If they produce a bit of magic, or score with a wonderful team move, or there's a really bad refereeing decision, then we've got to hold our hands up. But not the way we conceded that second goal against Charlton.”
WIGAN
"It's a bit of a test, isn't it, that was my first game in charge and we were beaten despite dominating most of the statistics. They're not a bad side at all, Wigan. They made some good January signings, they've got experience, and we saw in the Bristol Rovers game, how hard that was for us. We need to come away with that bit of confidence again that we've produced a good result and a good performance.”
BAILEY WRIGHT
"The good thing is that the injury has healed, that's the most important thing because you don't want to put a player out with a muscle injury when he could potentially not get through a game. Obviously he has lost a lot of training time, a lot of match time, but for a centre-half maybe you don't need quite so many minutes in the tank as you would if you were a forward or a central midfielder, and of course he is an experienced player. He is in a really good place and you always want Bailey Wright fit because he is a top, top character and he is as good as it gets as a human being - and not only that, he is a very good player."
