KELVIN Davis last night outlined his determination to wrestle the number one shirt from his Sunderland rivals after completing a £1.25m move to the Stadium of Light.

The 28-year-old shot-stopper finally put pen to paper on a four-year deal yesterday to bring an end to an on-off transfer saga that has dragged on for the best part of a month.

Davis' arrival almost certainly signals the end of the road for Thomas Myhre, despite the Norway international making 35 appearances for the Black Cats last term.

Myhre's current contract expires at the end of the month, and the capture of Davis rules out any possibility of McCarthy offering him a new short-term deal.

That still leaves Estonia international Mart Poom and talented teenager Ben Alnwick though, with the pair both having expressed their desire for regular first-team football at the end of last season.

Davis accepts he will have to prove his worth during Sunderland's pre-season tour of North America that begins at the start of next month.

But, before jetting off to complete a family holiday in Malaga, the Bedford-born keeper warned his goalkeeping rivals he was not joining the Black Cats to play second fiddle.

"You don't expect to be handed anything on a plate," said Davis, who has sampled life in the North-East before after making three appearances for Hartlepool during a loan spell at Victoria Park in 1997.

"You've got to fight for the right to wear the shirt and I'm coming here to do exactly that. When you go into the Premiership, you don't expect it to be an easy ride.

"It's quite interesting because every time I've played at the Stadium of Light, I've played well. I've always enjoyed playing here and I hope that continues.

"To get the opportunity to play here every other week meant this was never a difficult decision to make. I got a good feeling about the move straight away and I knew it was the right move to make."

Davis had looked like joining Sunderland more than a fortnight ago, but initial discussions broke down when he hinted he would prefer to keep his family close to their Suffolk base.

McCarthy refused to give up on the deal though, and Davis is now delighted to have moved to the North-East.

"It is a big step for me leaving Ipswich and I needed to know the move was the right one," he explained.

"I had a good look around the club and had a good chat with the manager and chairman and they were obviously both determined that the club will establish itself in the Premiership.

"The personal terms took a little bit longer to sort out, but once I was happy with everything, I had no hesitation in signing."

McCarthy has now splashed out more than £3m in the space of just 24 hours following Jon Stead's move from Blackburn on Monday.

"This represents a tremendous signing for Sunderland," said the Black Cats boss. "Kelvin has played in the Premier League before with Wimbledon and has played something near 40 games a season for the last four years.

"He was voted the best goalkeeper in the Championship by the PFA last season and, at 28, he is also in his prime age for a goalkeeper."

l Mark Lynch last night joined Coca-Cola Championship newcomers Hull City on a free transfer.

The 23-year-old, who joined Sunderland from Manchester United at the start of last season, made just five senior starts.

Lynch was transfer listed last month despite completing just 12 months of his three-year deal.

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