MARTON Fulop has attempted to lift some of the gloom that has descended on Wearside in recent weeks with the following message: “It could be worse – we could be Middlesbrough or Newcastle”.

Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Everton left Sunderland just four points clear of the relegation zone, hardly a comfortable margin with three games of the season still to play.

The manner of the club’s most recent reverse was even more dispiriting, with home supporters criticising a perceived lack of passion in the latter stages of Sunday’s game.

Fulop accepts that Sunderland’s weekend performance was unacceptable, but has taken at least a modicum of solace from the plight of the club’s two regional rivals.

Newcastle and Middlesbrough both find themselves in the bottom three ahead of Monday’s Tyne-Tees derby, and despite Sunderland’s recent failings, the Hungarian goalkeeper claims both clubs would willingly swap positions with the Black Cats.

“No one is happy with what happened at the weekend,”

said Fulop, who has returned to the starting line-up in the last two matches in place of the injured Craig Gordon.

“But I suppose the only positive is that our position has not got worse because of it.

“We are still four points clear of the relegation zone, and we all know that one more win will probably see us safe. It is obviously not an ideal situation, but it could be a lot worse.

“We were all expecting a better season than this, and I accept that the fans will not have been happy with the last few games.

“ B u t at least we still h a v e our destiny in our own hands with three games left. I am sure N e w c a s t l e and Middlesbrough would swap positions with us straight away if you offered them the chance, and I am confident we have what it takes to stay up.”

The fear, though, is that a positive result for either Newcastle or M i d d l e s - brough in six days t i m e w o u l d leave one of the sides just one point behind the Black Cats with two games to play.

That would place huge pressure on Sunderland’s matches against Portmsouth and Chelsea, but Ricky Sbragia’s side can avoid the worst-case scenario if they beat Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

Sunderland play two days before their regional rivals lock horns at St James’ Park, and after two weekends of nervously eyeing other results, Fulop admits it is high time he and his team-mates began taking responsibility for their fate.

“Everyone keeps saying we are within touching distance of safety,” he said. “But words are one thing and actually doing it is quite another. It is not enough to just keep on talking about what we need - it is up to us as players to convert those words into actions now.

“We were very lucky at the weekend again, but we can’t keep relying on that. We are better than that, and we need to start taking responsibility for our own position, rather than relying on other teams.

“Our destiny is in our hands, but it is up to us to look after it. We need one more win. If we get that, hopefully we will be safe.”

If they don’t claim a fourth away win of the season at the Reebok Stadium, however, they could well find themselves facing the wrath of the Sunderland fans for the third week in a row.

The home supporters were quick to voice their disgust on Sunday, but while former skipper Dean Whitehead previously criticised the fans for expressing their discontent, Fulop feels their actions two days ago were justified.

“It is not the fans’ fault that we are playing badly,” he said.

“We need to get them on side.

It was only when we started playing badly that things changed a bit.

“In the second half, they saw what they have had to see for a few games now, and they have the right to express their opinions.

“But I come from Hungary, and I can promise you that the fans are much rougher there.

I have experienced much more hostile home crowds in Hungary. A bit of booing is nothing compared to what sometimes goes on over there.

So I have no problems at all with the Sunderland fans.”