Anton Ferdinand was delighted with his Sunderland debut in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Wigan.

"We were a bit disappointed with the way we conceded but we're pleased to come away with something, especially at a place like this where it's not just a game, it's a war," said the Londoner. "We all did our jobs well because (Amr) Zaki and (Emile) Heskey is a good, physical partnership and we dealt well with them.

"We kept the ball a bit better and we're building a team here. We dug in and came away with a point. We looked good as a back four, we haven't had much time to work together and that showed the characters we've got in the side.

"Come the end of the season we could be in the top 10 and fighting for things. Points like this will make a lot of difference."

The introduction of Ferdinand and ex-West Ham teammate George McCartney meant two of last season's better performers, Phil Bardsley and Danny Collins, were on the bench.

"We know with the great competition we have for places, if we don't play well on a Saturday we won't get in the side," said Ferdinand.