MICK McCARTHY has reacted to Sunderland's relegation-certainties tag by claiming the club are aiming to finish in the Premiership's top four this season.

The Black Cats' boss' only other brush with top-flight management in this country was when he succeeded Howard Wilkinson at the Stadium of Light in 2003, with the side already hurtling towards the Football League.

McCarthy was unable to stop the rot and had to wait for the first season in the Championship before he claimed his first victory as manager on Wearside.

But he is looking to make up for lost time this time around in the Premiership and believes, providing at least four more faces arrive before the closure of the transfer window in August, he will have a squad capable of staying up.

There is a belief that most at Sunderland will be happy to narrowly avoid relegation but McCarthy is not one for setting his sights low. Instead of eyeing 17th he wants to focus on bigger prizes.

"There are two divisions in this league. Three teams who can win it and 17 who can't.

"We're not going to win so let's see what else we do, shall we?" said McCarthy, looking ahead to day one of the 2005-06 campaign when Charlton come to the North-East.

"Fourth bottom? That's a great target to set for everyone that one. Let's set fourth from top shall we. If we keep having to drop down one or two, or three or four, then so be it. Let's set our targets a little higher than that.

"But we mustn't go and top ourselves after one game; we shouldn't open the champagne after one game either.

"I saw Sunderland slapped at Chelsea on the opening day of the Premiership in 1999 and they had a good season that year strangely enough."

Estonian striker Andres Oper remains the most likely man to become McCarthy's next signing, his eighth of the summer.

But McCarthy said: "There's not one particular thing that'll make us successful in the Premiership. We'll have to work as hard as we did last season and will take a modicum of luck along the way as well if there's any out there.

"West Brom didn't go mad at it and managed to stay up. If there's a blueprint they're the one because they managed to stay up, not scrapping it out the last day of the season, but staying up."

As well as Oper, who has been training with the club this week, McCarthy is still looking to strengthen his squad despite adding Anthony Le Tallec and Alan Stubbs this week.

He added: "I'm just looking for players, I'm not going to itemise what I'm looking for.

"If I do then somebody will say I was looking for X and got Y. There's a number I've been looking at for some time."

Sunderland play their final pre-season friendly tonight when they take on AZ Alkmaar in Holland. AZ finished third in the Dutch Eridivisie last season and are managed by former Ajax and Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal.

McCarthy hopes the work-out will be the perfect preparation ahead of their Premiership return.

"I have to try to read the levels of fitness and how we're playing and not too much into the results," said McCarthy, whose side have won just one of their summer friendlies.

"Fitness comes through games and hopefully the team shape and whatever we want to do throughout the season will be put into place on Saturday and in the final week in preparation for Charlton."

* Derby have signed ex-Sunderland midfielder Paul Thirlwell from Sheffield United.

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