STEPHEN ELLIOTT claims Sunderland's 'total football' approach to life in the Championship will make it difficult for teams to dethrone them from an automatic promotion spot in 2005.

Tuesday's last-gasp 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest ensured the Black Cats travel to Preston North End on New Year's Day occupying second place for the first time this season.

As well as leaders Ipswich, Reading and Wigan are also in the hunt for the top two places, while Sheffield United, Millwall and West Ham have not given up hope of catching the leading pack.

But Elliott, who scored the opening goal at the City Ground with a deft header, is convinced that providing Sunderland play to their strengths there will be no doubts about them earning a straightforward passage back to the Premiership come May.

And the former Manchester City striker has warned other promotion candidates that Mick McCarthy's men will not be toppled easily from their new position in the Championship table.

"We are in the top two for the first time and now we have to stay there - it's up to the others to catch us," said Elliott.

"At the moment one of the top teams win and the other loses, but it's still very tight at the top and we need to stay there.

"It's close, but at the end of the season we think we can be up there. We have as good a chance as anyone. We have shown we can play top-quality football over the recent months and that will make sure we stay there.

"We want to keep playing that way right until the end of the season. If we can keep playing in that way then I don't think there are many teams that can touch us."

Elliott's tenth goal of the season was his first since he found the net against Ipswich on November 21 at the Stadium of Light.

His striker partner at Forest was Marcus Stewart and it was the experienced forward's injury-time winner, his seventh of the campaign, that pushed Sunderland into second place.

Stewart in particular had been targeted by the boo-boys after failing to score since hitting a hat-trick on September 11.

Both players vindicated McCarthy's decision to rest Michael Bridges and Chris Brown in favour of rekindling the Stewart-Elliott partnership.

"I'm delighted for Marcus to finally score because it's a while since he did," said Elliott, who turns 21 in early January. "It was also pleasing to score myself because it has been a few games since I did.

"I always want to get on the scoresheet and it is hard when you don't, but that's just the way it goes for forwards sometimes.

"It's hard at Sunderland because there are five of us, including Kevin Kyle who is injured, battling for the two front places. But it is also good that there are that many because it keeps everyone going. We all work together.

"I know I have played mainly with Marcus this season but we are all together as a group of forwards. We all want to play and we have to take it on the chin when we are not playing."

Having taken all three points from Nottingham on Tuesday, when Sunderland could quite easily have been more than the odd goal down, Elliott believes the whole squad can learn from the experience.

Had David Johnson and Gareth Taylor not missed two contenders for miss of the season then the home side, battling against relegation, would have been out of sight.

Instead Sunderland snatched the victory and Elliott revealed that the feeling in the Sunderland dressing room was that they had won without playing particulary well.

"After losing to Leeds we knew we had to got to Forest and get three points and we did," said Elliott.

"I thought we showed great character to get the result and to climb into the top two. We won - what more could we have done?

"Everyone is delighted in the squad and you could tell when the final whistle went at Forest what it meant to us all."

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