Jack Baldwin has revealed what he believes is the key advantage Jack Ross' Sunderland have over their promotion rivals, as they hunt a return to the Championship this month.

The Black Cats missed a chance to pull away from the chasing pack this week, drawing 1-1 with Burton Albion, but Baldwin's goal did at least allow them to move into second place.

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With a game in hand on third-placed Barnsley, they're in the driving seat now and will be many pundit's second favourites for promotion after leaders Luton Town.

Baldwin believes that game in hand is the one advantage Sunderland have over their rivals, not in terms of the table but also from a psychological point of view.

“It definitely makes a difference,” he told the Sunderland Echo. “Other teams will look at the table and see we have a game in hand as well."

“We’re in a strong position and while it would have been nice if we’d put the three points on the board, you look at the position we’re in and if you ask would we take that, I think we would, yeah. It’s important we focus on ourselves and do our job"

All but one of the Black Cats' final matches are against sides in the top 11, with Southend the only opponent currently not in the top half of the table.

Their game in hand isn't played until the penultimate match of the season, when they visit Fleetwood Town.

The Verdict

The game in hand might be an advantage, but the run in certainly isn't. They've got Doncaster, Peterborough and Coventry, all vying for a play-off spot, as well as Portsmouth who are on their tail for an automatic place.

It's going to be very tight indeed and Baldwin's assertion that their game in hand is their main advantage doesn't look so promising when you consider who they have left to play.