Sunderland enter the final couple of weeks of the season in a precarious position where they are unsure whether they can get promoted automatically.

With games to come against tough teams, achieving a top-two finish is somewhat unlikely now, and the Black Cats may have to settle for the play-offs.

A number of factors have cost Jack Ross' men this season, one of which being the amount of draws they have had at home, with 18 draws in total this season. If they were to turn a couple more of those into wins, they would surely be going up.

Overall though, it has been a good first year for Ross, with a couple of players excelling at the Stadium of Light.

Josh Maja was probably the player of the season in League One up until his departure in January, where he joined Bordeaux in France.

Other than that though, Sunderland's best talents have been the experienced heads such as Cattermole and Leadbitter in midfield, but more so Aiden McGeady out wide.

The 33-year-old has been excellent all season, and is showing no signs of slowing down as he enters the final years of his career.

Going into this weekend, he has netted 11 goals and registered five assists in League One, as well as a number of contributions in cup competitions.

He has rolled back the years with his performances, and has led by example for Jack Ross' side.

If Sunderland failed to go up though, they could well lose McGeady, as he will want to play Championship football at the very least, noting that it may be his last, or penultimate season in the game.

Sunderland would enter the play-offs on the back of an inconsistent run, and this could spell danger.

Since the EFL Trophy loss, they have struggled to grind out wins, which could cost them this season.

Sunderland would undoubtedly come back next season and fight for promotion again, but failure to go up could leave them at serious risk of losing their star man Aiden McGeady.