GOALKEEPER Ben Alnwick can rightfully hold his head up after a great penalty save from Robbie Keane during the 3-2 defeat at Spurs, but manager Mick McCarthy admitted it could be the 18-year-old's final game of the year for the Black Cats.

McCarthy is determined to protect the youngster and, despite impressing during his spell in goal for the Black Cats since replacing Kelvin Davis, Alnwick has conceded 12 goals in just five top flight games.

McCarthy showed his ruthless side when dropping Davis after a miserable run culminated in the embarrassing 4-1 defeat at home to Portsmouth, the Sunderland boss admitted it could now be time for Alnwick to step aside.

"I took Kelvin out of the firing line but Ben Alnwick deserved to get into the team anyway," said McCarthy, after seeing his side make it eight straight Premier League defeats since they last picked up a point at home to West Ham on October 1.

"If I had been him, watching us keep conceding cheap goals, I would be wondering why I was not getting my chance.

"Maybe Kelvin Davis will be thinking the same thing now. Perhaps it is time for Kelvin to go back in because Ben will be feeling it, conceding goals."

In the five games before Alnwick replaced Davis Sunderland conceded 11, with the change of goalkeeper having limited effect on their miserable season.

Davis was involved in an awful defensive mix-up with Alan Stubbs to gift Pompey their second goal in his last game for Sunderland and then compounded that when he was beaten from 40 yards by Matt Taylor.

More concerning for McCarthy than the errors was the reaction of the Sunderland crowd, with a large number them booing their own goalkeeper.

McCarthy's revelation he could now hand the 29-year-old a recall is sure to give the £1.25m summer signing from Ipswich a boost and Davis will be desperate for another chance to show just how good a goalkeeper he really is.

McCarthy said: "He has been playing well. Kelvin is a good keeper but he did need to be taken out of the firing line because he had taken a bit of stick.

"It did him no favours at all. He is fine now. He is an experienced goalkeeper and he will be better for it."

McCarthy is undoubtedly aware that Sunderland's current malaise is more down to stupid errors rather than goalkeeping problems, with the Black Cats using three different systems in their last three Premiership games.

At home to Birmingham they employed 4-4-2, against Liverpool it was 4-5-1 and then on Saturday at White Hart Lane it was 3-5-2.

The net result was three defeats and the fact that changing the system has not halted Sunderland's slide was not lost on centre-back Stephen Caldwell.

"I've played with three at the back plenty of times - we play that with Scotland - so it was no real problem for me," said the 25-year-old. "But I have to stress it isn't really about systems, it's about players performing and doing their job in whatever system we play.

"We let in three sloppy goals (at Spurs) and whether its 3-5-2, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 it's not really good enough giving away goals like we have been."

* Sunderland have been drawn at home to either Woking or Northwich Victoria in the FA Cup, third round. The non-League sides replay at Northwich on December 13, with the game at the Stadium of Light to be played over the weekend of January 6/7/8.