OPTIMISTIC Roy Keane last night insisted he has the strikers capable of firing Sunderland away from of relegation trouble this season - unlike the last time he embarked on such a losing streak.

The Black Cats need to avoid defeat at Reading this afternoon if they are to prevent a fifth successive reversal that would leave them in the bottom three.

On the only other occasion Keane has suffered such poor fortune in the professional game was with Nottingham Forest in the early part of the 1992-93 campaign, when they went on to lose top-flight status.

Forest lost six straight matches in a ten-match winless run that left untold damage as the squad was unable to turn things around at the City Ground.

During that spell, Keane was often used as a defender and strikers Gary Bannister and Nigel Clough failed to provide the goals up front to save Brian Clough's men.

But, after Michael Chopra claimed Kenwyne Jones would take the knocks while his colleague takes the glory, the Sunderland manager insists his £11m strikeforce can fire the Wearsiders up the table.

"It's been disappointing to lose four games but it's amazing what a victory can do for the club and we hope it will come on Saturday," said Keane. "It won't be all doom and gloom then.

"You look back on your experiences and the biggest problem the year we got relegated with Forest was that we didn't have a goalscorer.

"We sold Teddy Sheringham after the first game and I played centre-back a number of times with Nigel Clough. That tells you. We were doomed to relegation. I had a bit of pace but poor Nigel was struggling!

"If you look at our last few games this season we have not scored. If you are conceding goals and not scoring then it's going to be tough in the Premier League.

"But with the likes of Kenwyne on board we have to keep scraping away. Michael is going to score goals, there is no doubting that. He is a fox in the box and it will work well with Kenwyne."

When Keane examines results and performances so far in the Premier League, there is only the 3-0 collapse at Wigan that really annoys him.

However, after being encouraged by the display which almost claimed a point from Manchester United in their last outing, the Black Cats boss feels the international break has done his side good.

Keane said: "If we'd have got a point at United, that would have been five points and it would not have been a bad start. But with a sequence of four defeats, people can throw that stat at you.

"But we have to stay focused and make sure the new lads are bedding in well. The break came at a good time and that has helped the lads like Danny (Higginbotham) and Kenwyne settle in."

But while goalkeeper Craig Gordon is still on cloud nine after Scotland's historic win in France on Wednesday, Keane also realises his compatriots are smarting from defeat in the Czech Republic.

"It can be very difficult to come back after the international break," said Keane. "I woke up at 4am on Wednesday morning and started to think about them. I was thinking Paul McShane and Daryl Murphy will be awake.

"They got into Dublin at 3am and you don't sleep, that's the physical damage it does to you. Obviously you see the mental side to it when you get beaten. I will look at Murphy and McShane. I care about my players, what more can I say."

Reading are equally in need of the points at the Stadium of Light. The Royals have also picked up four points from their opening matches, winning just once.

"Must-win games normally occur at Easter but this is a very important game for us," said Keane, whose most difficult decision is likely to be who to play right-midfield today.