Ashley Fletcher admits Sunderland must take their chances or they will continue to be punished.
On Saturday, a bright opening on Wearside once again faded into disappointment, as Ipswich Town weathered an early storm before snatching a two-goal lead before the interval.
Prior to the visitors’ opener, Chris Coleman’s side had multiple opportunities to get their noses in front, but after failing to make the most of the chances that fell their way, they were punished.
And speaking post-match, Fletcher urged his team-mates to regroup and, more importantly, take the chances that fall their way.
“Everyone’s disappointed because in the first 35 minutes we looked very good,” said the striker.
“We looked dangerous going forward and we had chances to score, but then the sucker punch came with their goal and it knocked the confidence out of us a little bit.”
He continued: “Joel had a chance and I had one as well, but even in the second half we had chances and there was a penalty appeal that could have gone our way.
“When you’re down at the bottom things don’t really go for you, but we have to regroup, get a good week’s training and look forward to Bristol.
“Every game now is a cup final and the manager has said there are three teams we need to be better than at the end of the season, so we’ll be looking to bounce back next week.
“We’ve got a lot of games to go and only ourselves can get us out of this situation – we’re ready to fight."