Luke O'Nien knows it will be tough to make the play-offs, but that doesn't mean Sunderland won't be going all-out to achieve it.
The Black Cats have exceeded expectations in this their first season back in the Championship, spending the majority of the campaign in the top half of the table. That success has seen them flirt with the play-off picture and, although a run of just one win in their last seven league games has seen them fall off the pace slightly, they are more than capable of making a late push for the top six.
Manager Tony Mowbray has been keen to play down promotion talk, preferring instead to long at the long view, with the club building for sustainable success. However, versatile O'Nien sees no reason why they can't mount a challenge in the final eight games.
