Kenwyne Jones

WITH seven points between them and the Premier League relegation zone, Sunderland’s top-flight safety seems close to being assured. But Kenwyne Jones has warned Fulham the Black Cats will be “playing as if their lives depended on it” at Craven Cottage this weekend.

The Wearsiders take on a Fulham side on Saturday who, along with Bolton Wanderers, are becoming increasingly cut adrift at the bottom of the table. Sunderland will travel in good heart after four days training in the Spanish sun on the back of consecutive Premier League victories for the first time in seven years.

Although Jones has been unable to join his team-mates because of visa problems, the Trinidad and Tobago striker’s morale is also on a high after scoring his first goal of 2008 in Saturday’s 2-1 win against West Ham United. But the 23-year-old promised greater confidence will not equate to complacency.

“Fulham will be a massive game, but to a club like Sunderland every game is massive,” argued the £6m signing from Southampton. “It’s good we’ve been able to put some breathing space between ourselves and the bottom three, but we’ve got to remain really focused because every game will be hugely important until we’re mathematically safe.

“We will be treating every game as if our lives depend on it. But it’s encouraging the last two wins have put us on the road to safety and I believe we’ll get there because I am confident in the team and its ability.”

Jones was pleased to have produced his trademark goal celebration for the first time since the 3-1 home win over Bolton on December 29. Having missed the 1-0 victory at Aston Villa a week earlier, he was even more relieved to contribute to a winning cause.

“It was great to get back among the goals, especially because it helped us put two wins together that moved us up the table,” he said. “At this stage of the season it could not have been better timed and the whole place has been really buzzing. We were really glad we could put a smile on people’s faces after losing our last two home games (to Everton and Chelsea).

“At this stage of the season we will take any victory we can get and the three points matter more than who scores the goals. After missing the game against Villa because of illness it was really nice to produce something in front of our fans.

“I hadn’t done one of my somersaulting celebrations in a long time so I had to get it in against West Ham. I hope everyone appreciated it – especially the kids – but I hope they don’t try that at home or in the playground. I’ve got to make sure the fans see it again sooner rather than later. But as long as I play my part in helping us win, I’ll be happy.”

Two factors were crucial to Sunderland’s success – Roy Keane’s half-time team talk and the equally passionate crowd of over 45,000.

“The manager knows what it takes to get his team going,” said Jones. “Sometimes he might need to shout, whilst at other times it might be required to be calm to appease the situation. He usually manages to hit the nail on the head and against West Ham he definitely gave what the team needed.

“At half-time we knew the game was there for the taking but needed the manager to really get us on our toes so we didn’t slip into that comfort zone. His half-time talk worked and it showed. He wanted us to be more positive and we were.

“The fans have been beautiful all season and I think they should actually get a prize for that. Maybe that will be us doing well in games like we have recently and staying up this year. I’m really thankful to the fans for their support and hopefully it will continue until the end of the season.”