Dons present Sunderland with a difficult challenge, says Neil

New Sunderland manager Alex Neil believes every game is a ‘must win’ for his side if they are to fight for automatic promotion, starting with their clash against MK Dons tomorrow.

It’s third against fourth at the Stadium of Light, with two points separating the side.

Neil, who has only had one game at the helm, has been charged with getting Sunderland out of League One at the fourth attempt and with 14 games to go, the Black Cats are seven points away from the automatic promotion spots, with Wigan in second having four games in hand.

With the supporters demanding promotion this term, Neil says every game will need to be ‘must win’ between now and the end of the season, but knows it will be a difficult challenge against MK Dons.

“I think there is pressure on every game at Sunderland, and is a must win if you like. I think that’s what the fans and the club demand.

“Equally what we’ll do is try to perform at our best and there has been a lot of work put in this week. I just hope that will be reflected on Saturday when we play.

“That is easier said than done, MK Dons are a good side and have been working in the same manner since the start of the season.

“They are settled in their methods, whereas a lot of our methods may be relatively new to a lot of our players. That at the moment is something that doesn’t sit easy with me because the best feeling as a manager is going into each game understanding and knowing what you are going to get.

“Unfortunately at this moment in time we are not in that position because we haven’t worked with the players for long enough.

“What we do have is we have good players, and I’m hoping that all the information, and what we’ve replicated in training, we can take into the game.”