DANNY Higginbotham has not quite followed Curtis Davies' lead by criticising his performance, but the Sunderland defender has been far from complimentary about his own display.

After making his debut for Aston Villa in last week's defeat to Leicester, Davies' admission that he performed like 'a pub player' was seen as a refreshing change across the country.

Now Higginbotham, less than a week later, has chosen to face the flak head on after playing his part in Sunderland's defeat to Blackburn on Saturday.

The £2.5m purchase from Stoke, one of the Black Cats' best performers in his first three matches since joining, gifted Rovers their second goal at the Stadium of Light.

Higginbotham, a picture of depression immediately after the incident, knew his error had almost certainly cost his side any chance of claiming a point.

"As a defender your sole aim is to protect your own goal and obviously the second one for me personally was a big disappointment," he said. "As a defender you make a mistake and nine times out of ten you get punished in this league, you just have to respond well and put it behind you.

"You can't dwell on it too long, that's the beauty of football, when you have a bit of a hiccup you get a chance to rectify it. That's what football is all about, if players didn't make mistakes there would be no goals, but I hold my hands up for the second.

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger and you can always take something from moments like this."

His presence in his previous outings against Manchester United, Reading and Middlesbrough has had a calming influence on those around him.

And he says he was also feeling good about things before disaster struck against Blackburn.

"It's been going well for me here and I was actually enjoying the game," said the 28-year-old. "You have to be concentrating 100 per cent, but since I've been at this club it's been great. Everyone makes mistakes in football, the best players in the world even, it's how you learn from them and move on that matters. I have the chance to rectify it in the next game and it's only Arsenal at the Emirates so that's OK!"

Higginbotham has experienced two relegations with former clubs Derby and Southampton, but he is convinced the mood at Sunderland is different - despite winning just one of seven Premier League matches.

"I've been at Derby and Southampton in this league, but this club feels completely different," he said. "The atmosphere is completely different, it feels like a club that's on the up, instead of enduring the threat of relegation.

"I really think we've got something that we can build on here. There's a positive attitude around the club. We'll do well this season, I really think that."