Chris Coleman insisted he was pleased with how his side played despite Sunderland losing their crucial relegation clash to Bolton at the Macron Stadium last night.

A Zach Clough strike in the 17th minute was enough to separate the sides and even though the Black Cats had a lot of the play afterwards, they failed to score what would have been an important equaliser.

However, Coleman refused to be too downhearted after the loss and took positives from the performance.

"It was never going to be easy coming here and it was a big game for them as well, but I think we were the better team over the 90 minutes," he told the official site.

"They got that goal which was incredibly fortunate, but after that we really dictated."

The former Wales boss was adamant his side had moved on from some very poor showings in recent weeks and wants to use their display at Bolton as a springboard for future success.

"We have to march on, march forward, because I thought we showed good team spirit tonight and there was a good balance about us which is what we need moving forward."

The Verdict

Whether he really means it or not is debatable, but Coleman has to be positive even after the defeat as there are still 14 games to play this season.

There's no doubt that Sunderland delivered an improved performance but last night was all about the result.

Back-to-back relegations look increasingly likely but Coleman needs to give his players confidence if they are to turn around this wretched run so his comments are understandable.

Thoughts, Sunderland fans? Let us know in the comments below.