Tony Mowbray believes Sunderland's play-off challenge will go right to the last day - and a huge travelling contingent at Preston could help his team reach the play-offs. The Black Cats' 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion at the weekend lifted Mowbray's men into the Championship play-off places with just two games of the season remaining.
They face Watford - whose play-off bid is over after their defeat at Hull City on Saturday - in their last home game of the season, before rounding off their campaign at top six rivals Preston on May 8. Sunderland have already sold out their allocation of 6,000 tickets for the trip to Deepdale, and Mowbray hopes those fans will see his team clinch a top six spot.
"We've shown we can compete with anyone in this league and we shouldn't really worry about Watford and Preston, and yet I know that on any given day Watford or Preston can beat you," said Mowbray. "I haven't really looked at the table, but what I know is that there are teams right down to midtable who could still get in there.
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"We're on 65 points but there are teams just behind us so if we lose the next game and they win, suddenly they could be above us. I think we'll probably go into the last game of the season thinking that if we win, we'll have a chance, but if they win they might get in front of us.
"Watford are a very dangerous team with some very talented players - Ismaila Sarr, Joao Pedro, and the rest. Then at Preston, we've sold 6,000 tickets behind the goal at Deepdale.
"That might take us to the play-offs, I don't know. Let's just keep our season going, eh? The fans deserve that and we will be doing our very, very best to keep it going beyond May 8."
Sunderland go into Saturday's game against Watford on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run, and having won three of their last four games. The Hornets, under former Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder, have won just one of their last seven matches.
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