Sunderland manager Lee Johnson has dismissed suggestions that the battle for automatic promotion from League One is a three-horse race.

Johnson's side made it ten games unbeaten in all competitions with a 1-1 draw with Lincoln City at The Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

That run means that Sunderland are currently third in the League One table, two points behind second-placed Peterborough - who like the Blacks Cats have played 35 league games so far this season - and five points behind league leaders Hull, who have played two more games than those two sides directly below them.

Lincoln meanwhile are fourth in the table following that draw, two points worse off than Sunderland, having played a game more than the Black Cats and Peterborough, but one less than Hull.

But despite all that, it seems that Johnson does not believe that the Imps are out of the picture in terms of automatic promotion just yet.

Speaking after Saturday's game, Johnson was asked if it was now a three-horse race for automatic promotion from League One, with the Sunderland boss quoted by The Chronicle as saying: "I don't think so. There are too many games [left] for that.

"There's no way you can discount Lincoln, especially if they keep their best players fit, they are going to be a dangerous side."

Next up for Sunderland in the battle for a place in the Championship is a trip to the Memorial Stadium to take on Bristol Rovers on Saturday afternoon.

The Verdict

I do agree with what Johnson is saying here.

It doesn't take long for things to change in football, and there is still plenty of time for that top happen here.

Indeed, with some of those clubs battling for automatic promotion still yet to face each other, there is still plenty of scope for them to take points of one another, and that could of course change plenty.

Johnson is not going to want his squad to get too complacent in the battle for promotion either, so it does seem sensible for the Sunderland boss to take this particular stance with regards to the race for a return to the Championship.