It's been a pretty torrid start to the season for Sunderland and they now find themselves, at the moment, in another relegation battle.

The Black Cats had been leading a charmed life in the Premier League for the last few years and, when they finally ended up in the second tier, many thought that they might be able to reset.

However, it has so far not been a season of rejuvenation and Simon Grayson has a bit of a job on to make sure they do not fall into League 1 - something that would be a real disaster.

There is, however, some hope and players like Aiden McGeady are proving it with stats like this one - from Stat Attack on Twitter:

For sure, then, this isn't a bad return from the winger with his Preston stats for the year included and many will be hoping he can keep this up into 2018.

He's really starting to play well for the Black Cats at a time when many aren't and so it could be the case that he is the one being looked to to help the men from the Stadium of Light get out of trouble.

The Verdict

Sunderland have had a poor time of things this season but they shouldn't feel as though it is game over as they do have some good players.

The likes of Aiden McGeady are top players with the potential to take anyone on in the league and he'll be looking to lead Sunderland through this difficult patch.

Thoughts, Black Cats fans? Let us know below!