Kevin Phillips believes Sunderland are capable of reaching the Championship play-offs - but says his former club must tie star striker Ross Stewart down to a new contract and bring in another frontman to share the goalscoring burden. The Black Cats' return to second tier has exceeded all expectations, with Tony Mowbray's side currently sitting eighth in the table and just a single point outside the play-off spots.
That has sparked talk of a play-off push in the club's first season back in the Championship and, while that would be a tall order, Sunderland's legendary striker Phillips says they can do it. "I've been very impressed," said Phillips, who is now manager of South Shields and was speaking at the launch of bookmaker William Hill's new shop inside The Galleries, Washington.
"It doesn’t surprise me, though, as I played under Tony [Mowbray] for two years at West Brom. He came in at a difficult time, but he's steadied the ship and they're now playing some really good football.
