Phil Parkinson has slammed Sunderland's strikers for failing to find the back of the net.

The Black Cats have endured a frustrating campaign so far as they find themselves just outside of the play-off spots with 21 points from 11 games.

While performances have generally been good, the Wearsiders have come unstuck as a result of missing numerous big goalscoring opportunities over recent weeks.

A 2-1 defeat against MK Dons at the weekend saw the club drop out of the top six, however things could have been different if Will Grigg had converted his two opportunities that were presented to him from inside the six yard box.

While Grigg isn't the only culprit, Parkinson came out firing when delivering his assessment on the club's attacking exploits by saying that they need to be more demanding of themselves.

As quoted by the Sunderland Echo, Parkinson said: "We are talking about moments that have to go in the back of the net.
“We have to be harder with ourselves as a group and when in those positions, produce.
“I believe we will get those goals, but it has been quite a sustained run where we haven’t.
“I keep saying our expected goals is a lot higher than our actual goals scored because of the chances created, we have to keep doing the right things, the movement, getting in those areas and being brave and getting in the area, make sure the next one goes in the back of the net. “We can all count a lot of moments in recent weeks and that has got to stop." The Verdict There's no doubting that a lack of cutting edge in attacking areas is proving costly. Sunderland need to be ruthless if they're to pick up the required amount of victories to secure promotion this time around. The pressure is on at the Stadium Of Light, and with Parkinson feeling the weight of expectation from supporters it's no surprise that he's so frustrated by his attackers.