There has not been a more well known collapse in English football than Sunderland’s for quite some time, dropping from the Premier League to League One in the blink of an eye.

But after a change in ownership, they now seem to be stable once again and can begin looking up rather than down.

They currently sit in third place with just nine games left of the current season, one point behind second-placed Barnsley and with a game in hand over the Tykes.

Last weekend saw Jack Ross gain some much-needed ground on Daniel Stendel’s side too, beating Walsall 2-1 at the Stadium of Light whilst Barnsley were held to a 0-0 draw by Yorkshire rivals Doncaster Rovers.

But the Black Cats were dealt some worrying news this week when it emerged that the man who scored the winner against the Saddlers, Will Grigg, withdrew from the Northern Ireland squad with an injury.

After Josh Maja’s winter departure, the goalscoring burden has fallen to the former Wigan man and he would be prove a big loss.

Here, then, are THREE reasons why this update could prove disastrous for Sunderland’s season…

Lack of depth

Charlie Wyke is the only other option available to Ross if Grigg were to face a spell on the sidelines.

Whilst the former Bradford man has looked okay whenever he has played, he has shown nowhere near the level of finishing needed to fire the club back into the Championship.

Main weapon

It does not take a genius to work out that the main weapon for Sunderland this season has been their attack.

When you have the likes of Aiden McGeady, Chris Maguire and Lynden Gooch providing that is always going to be the case.

Whilst their defence has been reasonable, it is far from rock-solid meaning they will need their attack at full strength.

Rivals

Losing their man goalscorer will only serve to put Ross’s side another step behind Barnsley and Luton.

With Cauley Woodrow and James Collins both in excellent form and showing no signs of slowing down it could seriously open up a gap between themselves and Sunderland.