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STEVE BRUCE is hoping the Red and White Army will make the difference tonight as Sunderland face a crunch relegation clash against Bolton.
Wigan's unexpected win against Liverpool last night saw Sunderland slip another place in the table - they are now just two places and three points above the relegation zone.
That has piled even more pressure on tonight's game as Bolton - who are only two points above Sunderland - arrive on Wearside looking for their third successive win.
The Black Cats, meanwhile, are desperate to break their 14-match winless streak.
STEED Malbranque will return to Sunderland's starting line-up against Bolton Wanderers tonight after he was dropped and fined two weeks' wages for breaking a club curfew.
Malbranque did not even make the bench for the 0-0 draw with the Cottagers following a showdown with Bruce after the French winger was spotted in a nightclub on the Thursday night before the game.
That, coupled with some lacklustre performances from the former Fulham and Tottenham star, who has been unable to sustain an impressive start to the campaign, led to a furious response from Bruce, who was incensed by the player's attitude and the lack of respect shown towards his team-mates.
Malbranque, though, has since apologised and been assured he remains a key figure this season, particularly given the Black Cats' lack of midfield creativity in the absence of Andy Reid, Jordan Henderson and Kieran Richardson.
KIERAN RICHARDSON says one win is all it will take to get Sunderland's season back up and running.
A run of 14 league games without a victory has seen the Black Cats go from a side eyeing up a European place to one looking anxiously over its shoulder towards the bottom three.
And while they have gone some way towards stopping the rot by drawing four of their last five games - including a goalless draw at home against Fulham in their last outing - it is victories they need to dig themselves out of trouble.
They take on relegation rivals Bolton at the Stadium of Light tomorrow, and Richardson believes that a win would lift the sense of gloom that has descended during the four months since Sunderland last picked up three points.
"It's a big game for us tomorrow night but we've got to go into it positively and make sure we get that win we all want," said the midfielder.
SUNDERLAND are preparing a summer bid for Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara - and hope to sign his Spurs team-mate Alan Hutton on a permanent basis if they win their battle against relegation.
With Steve Bruce having been assured his job is safe, the Black Cats are already preparing a list of targets for next season and O'Hara - in fine form during his season-long loan at Portsmouth - is understood to feature prominently.
Although the 23-year-old midfielder has been playing well at Fratton Park, Tottenham will sell him in the summer and Sunderland are leading a host of Premier League clubs vying for his signature.
Bruce is prepared to reinforce his squad with up to six new players this summer and knows he needs to beef up his central midfield options after being left short by suspensions and injures for most of this season.
Sunderland believe they could get O'Hara for around £1million, but know they have potential rivals in the form of West Ham, with Pompey also keen to sign him on a permanent basis if they can unravel the financial problems which have put the club's future under threat.
ANDY REID has stepped his Sunderland comeback bid and hopes to return for the visit of big-spending Manchester City.
The winger has been missing since suffering a grade two hamstring tear in the 1-1 draw at Portsmouth last month but after intensive rehabilitation has delivered an upbeat fitness update.
The Irish schemer is already back in light training and hopes to rejoin the rest of the squad after the Bolton game on Tuesday - a welcome boost for the injury-plagued Black Cats.
MICHAEL Turner admits he is getting a sense of déjà vu as Sunderland's season turns into a re-run of Hull City's fight for Premier League survival 12 months ago.
The defender was a member of the Hull side that got off to a flying start in their first season in the top flight, but then slumped alarmingly after Christmas and ended up escaping relegation by a single point.
The £5m summer buy has seen his first season on Wearside follow a similar path, as Sunderland's terrific start to the campaign has tailed off and a run of 14 league games without a win has seen them slide to within just three points of the drop zone.
LEICESTER City have enquired about signing Sunderland wonderkid Martyn Waghorn on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
The Foxes have been so impressed with the 20-year-old's contribution during a season-long loan spell that they want to keep him at the end of the season if the price is right.
But Steve Bruce is undecided about whether to let one of the club's brightest young prospects leave - and Sunderland will wait until the summer before making a decision.
Waghorn has scored seven goals in 15 starts for the Foxes and has impressed Nigel Pearson with his attitude during a spell that did not begin well.
He lost his place but since Matty Fryatt was ruled out for the season recently, Waghorn has stepped up to score some vital goals.
Waghorn would be valued at around the £1million mark if he was allowed to leave, but much will depend on Sunderland's plans for the summer.
SUNDERLAND'S Kieran Richardson has not given up hope of catching England boss Fabio Capello's eye and rekindling his international career.
As a rising star at Manchester United, Richardson excelled in a loan spell with West Brom and was handed his international debut by then national coach Sven-Göran Eriksson in May 2005.
He made an instant impact, scoring twice on his debut in a 2-1 friendly win over the USA in Chicago in 2005, and he went on to win a further seven caps. However, his last outing in an England shirt came almost three-and-a-half years ago in a 1-1 friendly draw with Holland in November 2006, after which he was discarded by Eriksson's successor, former Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren.
SUNDERLAND will run the rule over top-rated Uruguay striker Luis Suarez tonight as the undeterred Black Cats continue their global search for summer reinforce-ments.
Chief Scout Ricky Sbragia is due to take in Uruguay's international friendly with Switzerland in Gallen in another illustration that planning for next season is already under way - despite Sunderland's Premier League status being in peril.
Sbragia's watching brief is understood to be focused on the South American team, who have several exciting attacking prospects in their side.
STEVE Bruce's problems as Sunderland manager have been exacerbated by a fallout with midfielder Steed Malbranque after a series of anonymous showings from the temperamental winger.
Malbranque is one of the most creative players in the Sunderland squad, but he has failed to perform in recent weeks.
And his lack of determination and ambition on the right flank has infuriated Bruce.
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