Chris Coleman wants his Sunderland side to fight until the end of the season.

Sunderland delivered another promising performance, but were once again left disappointed to only come away with a point after a 2-2 draw with Reading.

This is their third consecutive draw with only one loss in the last five games.

However, it appears to be too little, too late because they have a six-point gap to make up with only three games remaining. Burton's win over Derby also means that they drop back to last place with the Brewers the next team they face in a crucial clash for both teams.

This is what Coleman had to say about the Reading result as quoted by The Northern Echo: “Relegation – that’s the dreaded word."

"We’ll have the same week’s training, but the boys have got to show the same mentality, even if things go against us."

“We’re still in with an outside chance, and even if we weren’t we are professionals and we have a job to do.”

The Verdict

Coleman is saying all the right things, but he must be desperately disappointed by the fact that his team hasn't been rewarded for the level of their performances in recent games.

It's unrealistic that they will stay up, but if they win against Burton and other results go their way then they could be three points away from safety. Their last two games are Fulham and Wolves. The Cottagers could be restricted to a play-off finish by then, although it's unlikely. However, Wolves only need one point to finish as champions, so they are unlikely to have anything to fight for by the end of the season which suits Sunderland perfectly.

The main issue is that they are now relying on other teams heavily in order for results to go their way.