LIAM LAWRENCE was one of seven Sunderland players to be handed international call-ups this week and manager Mick McCarthy wants that to revitalise the club as a whole.
Despite lying at the foot of the Premiership table, some ten points off today's opponents Birmingham City, the promising form of certain individuals has not gone unnoticed by their respective countries.
In recent months, as the Black Cats have managed to muster just two league wins from 26 games, Liam Lawrence has been one of McCarthy's star performers.
His top-flight displays were rewarded with a call-up for the Republic of Ireland last week and could earn his first cap in Wednesday's friendly with Sweden. Club-mates Stephen Elliott and Gary Breen are also involved.
But there have been others too and McCarthy is hoping they all return from a few days with their international squads ready to push Sunderland towards the 19-point total they are desperate to reach.
"There's a whole list of players who have won recognition for their country," said McCarthy, the former Ireland boss. "It just shows how far Liam has come in such a short space of time and he's not the only one.
"There's Danny Collins (Wales), Martin Woods (Scotland Under-21s), Steve Caldwell (Scotland), Justin Hoyte (England Under-21s), Stephen Elliott and Gary Breen, so we do OK.
"Despite where they are as a team, they have been recognised individually for some of their performances. It will boost their confidence. I know it does because I have been there.
"It's great when you go and play with the other internationals. You just see different things. It has a real positive effect on you and is a great boost for your own confidence."
Both of Sunderland's Premiership victories under McCarthy have been on their travels and they are hoping to improve on that when they head to St Andrews today.
Birmingham, who are six points from safety themselves, are in desperate need of points and McCarthy hopes the situation ends in a similar fashion to when they headed to relegation candidates West Brom on January 21.
"Some of our best performances have been away from home," said McCarthy, likely to revert back to a two-man attack today. "The template is the game at West Brom. It was a good all-round performance. We didn't have too much anxiety in the game in terms of us having to defend. I'm sure Birmingham will be feeling the pinch this weekend. They will feel they won't have a better opportunity than against us. They won't want to lose to us, that's for sure."
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