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After suffering heartbreak in the play-off final last season at the hands of Charlton Athletic, the pressure is firmly on Sunderland to deliver the goods during the current campaign.

Having bolstered his squad over the summer by bringing in the likes of Marc McNulty, Conor McLaughlin and Jordan Willis, manager Jack Ross would have been wanting to lead the Black Cats to a barnstorming start to the year.

However, Sunderland have instead yet to reach top gear in League One.

Following back-to-back draws against Oxford United and Ipswich Town, a run of five consecutive victories in all competitions suggested that the Black Cats were back on track.

Yet in what turned out to be a disastrous afternoon at the Weston Homes Stadium, Sunderland suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Peterborough United in their most recent outing in the second-tier.

No longer unbeaten, the Black Cats will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they head to the Crown Ground to face Accrington Stanley.

Although Ross will be able to call upon the likes of McNulty and Aiden McGeady for this fixture, he will once again be without Duncan Watmore who is set to be out for at least another two weeks due to a muscular injury (via the club's official Twitter account).

Signed by Sunderland in 2013 from Altrincham for an undisclosed fee (via BBC Sport), the winger initally made a superb start to life at the Stadium of Light as he produced a number of thrilling performances in the Premier League.

As a result of his impressive form, Watmore earned 13 caps for England's Under-21 side between 2015 and 2016.

Seemingly destined for a long career in the top-flight, the winger then suffered a devastating knee injury during a clash with Leicester City which resulted in him missing a total of 39 successive games for Sunderland.

After finally making a return to action in September 2017, Watmore only managed to play six matches before being hit with a fresh setback which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Following a stop-start 2018/19 campaign, the 25-year-old would have been hoping to make a real impact this season under Ross.

Yet having been limited to just one appearance during the opening weeks of the new term, this latest injury could end up being the final straw for Sunderland.

A shadow of his former self, Watmore has been overtaken by McGeady and Lynden Gooch in the Black Cats' pecking order and now faces a fight on his hands to reclaim a place in Ross' starting eleven.

If he cannot get back to full fitness, it may be time for Sunderland to cut ties with him next summer when his contract expires (via Transfermarkt) as his development as a player has stagnated in recent years.

A departure from the Stadium of Light could also suit Watmore as it will give the chance to start afresh and thus forget what has been an awful period in his career.