Dwight Yorke admits he's tried to give his Sunderland teammates a sober taste of reality about the prospect of relegation.

"It's up to us as staff to explain the importance (of relegation) to the players," he said. "I made it known in the meetings we have had that you don't want to be going off in the summer knowing you are coming back to the Championship. I would like to think that has sunk in.

"If we do, the finger will be pointed at us because we got ourselves in that position."

The former Manchester United also reflected: "It's amazing, when you find players doing well they always want to talk.

"When I was a young man I was exactly the same. It happens in every way of life. If you're buzzing and going out every night pulling women, you want to tell everyone about it.

"Now the mood has changed it's a serious feel around the club and the smile seems to have gone off a few faces. You can see there's a bit of a low.

"But it's important we stay focused because that's what it will take to get through this. It will take a unique effort, from everyone from top to bottom. But we are still very positive we can get out of this situation."