SEAN Thornton slammed suggestions that Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Everton exposed Sunderland's lack of Premiership pedigree claiming: "We are the best team in the Championship".

The Black Cats were comprehensively outplayed at Goodison Park as Everton's European hopefuls dominated.

With Sunderland hoping to join them in the top-flight next term, some used Saturday's display to pour scorn on the club's promotion credentials.

But, despite trailing league leaders Ipswich by three points, Thornton has claimed that Mick McCarthy's side are on track to finish in the top two.

And, rather than forcing them onto the back-foot, the Irishman expects last weekend's defeat to make his team-mates even more determined to avoid the play-off lottery this season.

"The lads know what to expect if we get promoted," explained Thornton, who found himself promoted to the starting line-up on Merseyside after Jeff Whitley suffered a late bout of the flu. "This has given us a taste of what it is all about and it will spur us on now.

"Personally - and I'm not just being biased - I think we are the best team in the Championship.

"The table doesn't show us as the best because we're not top, but I think we will get promoted as the best team in the division.

"Maybe the FA Cup got in the way a little bit last season. This time we won't have so many games in the last few months of the season. We can concentrate on the league and that will be good for us."

Thornton was one of the few Sunderland players to enhance his reputation at Goodison, as his willingness to keep things simple contrasted with the more frustrating contributions of some of his team-mates.

The 21-year-old looked to be on his way out of the Stadium of Light when he threatened to hand in a transfer request earlier this season but, after an injury crisis forced McCarthy to hand him a lifeline, the midfielder has responded with some eye-catching displays.

He almost turned the game as a second-half substitute at Preston on New Year's Day and is hopeful that his latest performance will keep him at the forefront of his manager's mind.

"All that I want is to play, but it's up to the manager," he said. "It's nice to be involved again, it's all I have ever wanted. The fans are always behind me, they have been brilliant."

* Burnley boss Steve Cotterill is confident that shamed winger John Oster can rebuild his career at Turf Moor.

The Wales international, sacked by Sunderland last week, made his Burnley debut in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth after signing for the club until the end of the season.

"John was with us last week and I was delighted we managed to keep it under wraps for so long," said Cotterill. "People have been saying to me 'Where did you get him from?' and I think we have been really lucky with the signing. I think he will bring us some real quality."

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