AS if Jon Stead's chronic lack of goals was not enough of a problem, Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle has admitted his own Premiership barren run is exacerbating the club's goalscoring crisis.

After yet another unsuccessful shift in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham, Stead has now gone a barely believable 1,331 minutes without scoring a Premiership goal for Sunderland.

Sunday's outing was only Kyle's third top-flight appearance of the season, but the Scot is one of the few survivors from Sunderland's last calamitous campaign in the Premier League, when he made 16 appearances without scoring.

Kyle's wait for a Premiership goal now stretches to 1,023 minutes meaning that, between them, the Black Cats' first-choice strike duo have gone more than 39 hours of football without hitting the back of the net.

Ending that run is unlikely to stave off the threat of relegation but, with a season in the Championship on the cards, Sunderland's strikers are desperate to make their mark before it is too late.

"I don't think I'll ever score in the Premiership the way things are going at the minute," said Kyle, who finally looked to be operating at full tilt in last weekend's draw. "But I'll certainly keep plugging away just like Jon will and, eventually, I'm sure we'll both get goals.

"To be honest, Jon has probably taken a bit of the pressure off me. Jon's played in the Premiership and scored goals there. He doesn't have to prove anything to anybody because he has been there and done it.

"I know what he feels and I know what he's going through, but it's much more difficult for Jon because he's been brought in specifically to score goals."

Given his much-publicised plight, Stead could have been forgiven for taking himself out of the firing line in recent weeks.

Instead, the 22-year-old has continued to give his all and, as a result, the Stadium of Light faithful have refused to get on his back.

Even their patience has limits, though, and both Kyle and Stead are sensible enough to accept that the tide will turn if their barren run continues indefinitely.

With Sunderland travelling to Blackburn tomorrow night, it would be fitting for Stead to finally break his duck against the side that deemed him surplus to requirements last summer. If he does find the target at Ewood Park, Kyle expects the reception from the away fans to be audible on Wearside.

"It'll probably come off his backside or his elbow," said the Scotland international. "But, as long as he keeps practising in training like we all do, the goal will come and that will please everybody.

"It's very easy for the fans to get on somebody's back, but they can see Jon's playing well and holding the ball up.

"It's just the end product that's not quite there. He has it and the fans acknowledge that. When the goal eventually comes, I am sure they will raise the roof."

The same could no doubt be said of Kyle. The 24-year-old made a massive impression in his first full season at the Stadium of Light and his absence has been keenly felt by a side also lacking Irishman Stephen Elliott.

Merely playing in the Premiership is a success story for Kyle given that, seven months ago, he was facing the prospect of his career coming to an end.

Summer surgery in America finally solved the problem, although the striker admits overcoming his mental hang-ups was as traumatic as battling against his physical problems.

"In my first week back in training I thought, 'I'm getting little twinges and muscle pains', and I phoned up the specialist in America and asked him what was going wrong. He said: 'That's just your brain having to tell your body what to do again'.

"My head knew that I'd had pain for so long, but I had to get it out of my mind and get on with it."

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