The Championship play-off race is still very much wide open, with 10 sides chasing a place in the end-of-season spectacle - including Tony Mowbray's Sunderland.
The Black Cats' boss has been keen to play down expectations, given this is the club's first season back in the second tier following four years in League One. However, ahead of schedule or not, the fact is Sunderland are very much in with a chance of making the top six.
Middlebrough (third) and Luton Town (fourth) seem almost assured of their place, with Michael Carrick's Boro challenging Sheffield United for an automatic promotion slot. However, it feels like the remaining places are up for grabs, with the coming weeks likely to indicate which sides will be making final push.
