Sunderland fullback Phil Bardsley admits there situation is becoming a concern.

Sunderland are being dragged into the relegation scrap and face a crucial trip to Norwich on Sunday.

Bardsley said: "There are times where we've got comfortable possession but the opposition's got everyone behind the ball.

"So at times we need to force that pass and create something. That means giving the ball away sometimes, which is frustrating at times.

"We've got to try to pass the ball forward and get it to the players with a bit of guile and flair.

"We've got to get them on the ball in the right areas and, at the minute, we're just struggling to do that.

"We can't just rely on Steven Fletcher to score goals every week for us. Others have got to come to the party."