Sunderland failed to win for a sixth consecutive game as they were held to a 3-3 draw against Accrington yesterday, with Lee Johnson demanding that his team 'toughen up'.

Automatic promotion seemed a realistic possibility at the start of the month but the poor run means the Black Cats have to settle for a play-off place.

Whilst that means the final three games have little riding on them, Sunderland will want to regain their confidence in the run-in and Johnson told Chronicle Live that improvements need to be made.

"We need to toughen up in certain situations. We didn't put them to the sword, with all the chances we had. We have to get a result at least over the next two games.

"Then we have to almost press the reset button because one thing that we haven't spoken about a lot is how many games the boys have played, repeating it every three days."

Sunderland are back in action on Tuesday when they take on Blackpool, a side they could meet in the play-offs in May.

The verdict

The past few weeks have been worrying for the Black Cats, and it was highlighted against Accrington. Despite scoring three goals, they were wasteful in the final third but more importantly they are conceding soft goals.

So, there are clear issues that need to be rectified in the next few weeks and players will be playing for a starting spot in the play-offs.

Ultimately, it's all about winning promotion and Sunderland need to be ready for the huge games that are coming up.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.