Lee Johnson is still hurting from Sunderland's 4-0 defeat at Portsmouth before the international break.

The Black Cats were in fine form and looked every bit an automatic promotion contender. However, a drenched Fratton Park proved their downfall and exposed weaknesses in the side that did not seem present before the encounter.

Johnson is focused on using the loss as motivation to put things right and he explained how he is looking to instil that mentality when he spoke to ChronicleLive.

He said: "That pain, that frustration, is still in me.

"And I hope it's in the lads as well because we although we don't want to be tense when we are playing, we want to make sure that we have a memory and that we understand that we let the fans down. We have to play with a desire to reinstate their confidence in us."

Sunderland lost ground at the top of the division through defeat at Pompey and cleared the way for Plymouth Argyle to reach the summit of the division last weekend. This new look Black Cats side were bound to have ups and downs but now it is a test of their character to see how they react to the crushing loss on the South Coast.

The Verdict

It will be interesting to see if Johnson makes a lot of changes or alters the system for their trip to struggling Gillingham. Steve Evans' men do not look the same side who competed firmly in the top half last season but will raise their game for the visit of the Black Cats.

A win would likely take Sunderland back into the automatic promotion spots and start to erase the memory of the Portsmouth debacle in supporters' minds.

With Crewe Alexandra and Charlton Athletic following this Saturday's match the Black Cats have a nice run of fixtures to make their way back into the top two and put the past behind them as we edge towards the busy Christmas period.