Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole believes the squad are capable of beating the drop this season and has put his faith in the coaching staff to get the best out of them.

The Black Cats, who are priced at 1.50 to be relegated, have found life extremely difficult in the Championship and the currently find themselves just one place off the foot of the table with a three-point gap to safety.

Saturday’s outing saw Sunderland pick up a point at Bristol City in dramatic circumstances as they netted three times in the second half to fight back from 3-0 down at the break.

Boss Chris Coleman hasn’t been able to solve their defensive issues but Sunderland are certainly scoring more under the Welshman.

Cattermole believes Coleman and his backroom staff are doing a good job in attempting to restore confidence and has also revealed his excitement at seeing academy players coming through.

The combative midfielder admits it has been a tough campaign so far but claims he is feeling optimistic for the next few months.

Cattermole said: “We need to get the foundations in place and rebuild this club. I believe the manager and the staff are the right people to do that.

“We’re getting some exciting young players – there’s some lads in the academy who are going to have great careers and we need them to take it forward. It’s almost exciting as well.

“It’s tough to take at times but at the same time I’m optimistic and very excited for what could be ahead.”