MICK McCarthy is hoping to give Sunderland's long-suffering supporters a double boost this afternoon - by ending the club's 32-month wait for a Premiership point while dumping bitter rivals Newcastle to the foot of the table at the same time.

With the Black Cats having lost their opening five games of the season, the initial euphoria of the club's return to the top-flight is fading fast.

Reality is rapidly setting in, along with a grudging acceptance the Stadium of Light faithful will have to make the most of any successes that come their way this season, no matter how parochial they may be.

There are obvious tangible reasons why Sunderland - currently on a run of 20 successive top-flight defeats - are in desperate need of a win against fellow strugglers West Brom.

But with Newcastle, who travel to Blackburn tomorrow, just two points clear of the Wearsiders, there is also a more tribal longing for the right result this afternoon.

Even McCarthy, who normally tends to steer clear of the more narrow-minded aspects of the Tyne-Wear rivalry, has acknowledged the potential for local bragging that is at stake.

"Will I get any extra satisfaction if we go above Newcastle? It wouldn't break my heart if I was looking at it on Sunday morning and we were above them," said the Black Cats' boss, who watched West Brom condemn his side to an ultimately unsuccessful play-off campaign two seasons ago.

"They're not exactly running away from us at the minute are they? It's not just Newcastle though - there are other teams that haven't really put themselves out of touch as well.

"There are quite a few teams within four or five points of us, but we certainly wouldn't want the gap to get any bigger than it is.

"We have to get something so we can start to stick on the coat-tails of one or two of them. We don't want anybody to be running away from us."

While Charlton and Manchester City have already taken maximum points from the Stadium of Light this season, both sides have gone on to establish themselves amongst the Premiership's early pace-setters.

West Brom have not - last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Wigan was their third successive reverse - and the Baggies' status as perennial relegation candidates makes this afternoon's game all the more significant.

By losing 1-0 at Wigan last month, Sunderland have already conceded three points to one of their likely relegation rivals. They can ill afford to let another stretch further clear.

"I'm not going to go through teams individually," said McCarthy. "But everyone knows the head-to-heads we have to get something out of.

"Everybody has their own idea about which teams need to be hanging on the coat-tails of others. People might not be too far away when they talk about which teams are going to be in and around the bottom.

"Some have had good starts, some haven't. There are a lot of games to play and we'll see where they all end up.

"If we play against a team we perceive to be scrapping around us at the bottom, we have to pick up points against them.

"That was always going to be the case and it hasn't changed. West Brom at home was always going to be a game we needed to get points out of."

While Bryan Robson's battlers represent the type of side Sunderland need to be beating if they are to preserve their Premiership status, they also provide proof teams can survive against the odds.

West Brom were all but written off after a calamitous start to last season saw them win just one of their first 23 league games.

Robson was recruited in November to stop the rot, and the former Middlesbrough boss duly created history by steering his side to safety despite them propping up the table on Christmas Day.

"We've got to take inspiration from what happened with West Brom last season," said McCarthy. "People were saying 'If you're bottom at Christmas you can't stay up', but they did.

"A huge amount of that was down to Bryan. The fighting spirit and determination he instilled in them was a major factor.

"When you're having a bit of a struggle, you look at everyone else who's achieved something when they've been struggling to find a bit of solace and encouragement.

"But, at the end of it all, we've got to look within our own ranks to turn things around."

Last weekend's backs-to-the-wall display suggested Sunderland were finally turning around their leaky defence - the challenge today will be to bring about an improvement at the other end.

Two goals in five games is hardly likely to inspire confidence, but the presence of an extra midfielder in most of those matches was at least partly to blame.

McCarthy is likely to revert to his preferred 4-4-2 formation this afternoon - with either Andy Gray or Stephen Elliott partnering Jon Stead up front - in an attempt to seize the attacking initiative from the off.

"A switch in formation may well help," he admitted. "Last season, we could go into every game with a 4-4-2 and tweak it on the pitch if we needed to.

"I think if we'd gone to Liverpool like that, and allowed Steven Gerrard to do as he liked, it would have been a recipe for disaster.

"Similarly, if we had gone to Chelsea, not matched them up, and allowed Joe Cole or Arjen Robben to do as they pleased, that would have been another recipe for disaster. But, at home, playing against certain teams, there might well be an argument for switching back to a 4-4-2."

Alan Stubbs will retain his place at centre-half after recovering from a bout of concussion, while Christian Bassila is set to make his home debut after an impressive display at Stamford Bridge.

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