PHIL BARDSLEY has admitted the Sunderland players owe Ricky Sbragia a performance at Bolton on Saturday to help the beleaguered Black Cats boss secure his job.

The right back was part of another lacklustre defensive display on Sunday when defeat to Everton extended the Wearsiders’ losing run to seven matches.

As Sbragia prepares his side to face his former club, Bardsley accepted it’s now time for the players to relieve pressure on their under-fire manager.

“I think he deserves a big performance on Saturday,”

noted the former Manchester United defender. “He’s a football man and it hurts him as much as it hurts everyone – he’s a good football man and I hope we can go out there and do it for him this weekend.

“The gaffer has been brilliant.

Obviously not all of us are players that he’s brought in and ones that he wants.

“I think he’d like to get us through this season and give it a go next season with his own players and his own ideas because I think he deserves it.”

The feel-good atmosphere that pervaded the club following Sbragia’s appointment has dissipated with Sunderland increasingly drained of confidence in recent weeks.

Supporters have questioned the manager’s ability to handle some of the big characters in the squad after a ten-game winless run dragged the club to the verge of the relegation positions.

But Bardsley has backed Sbragia to steer the side to safety.

He said: “I had him at Man United and he’s a terrific bloke. He breeds good camaraderie as a manager and that’s something you need, especially when things aren’t going well.

“I think we have let him down over the last couple of weeks. It’s about time we did something about it.

“It’s a disappointment that it has gone until the end of the season. But we’ve got three important games coming up starting at Bolton on Saturday.”

Bardsley sympathises with the fans who’ve started to lose patience with their side.

“It’s difficult for the supporters: it’s been a long season for them. They travel home and away and pay good money to see us. And with the current money situation is, fair play to them.

“The lads are trying to do the best they can but confidence of late hasn’t been as high as we would want. We all want to perform – I was brought here to perform. The last couple of weeks have been disappointing – but it’s not time to reflect or sulk. It’s time to stand tall and be counted and if we do that I’m sure everything will be alright.”

Roy O’Donovan and Anthony Stokes have returned to the Academy of Light but Greg Halford will remain with Sheffield United as they battle for promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Michael Chopra’s loan move to Cardiff will automatically become a permanent transfer on July 1.