Phil Parkinson has demanded his players must produce a high-octane performance this weekend when Southend United come to town.
Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light on Saturday, kick-of 3pm, in search of three vital points as they look to climb the League One table.
The Black Cats produced a ruthless 5-0 display in their last home game against Tranmere Rovers, but have since struggled to convert their chances which has resulted in defeats at Shrewsbury Town and Oxford United.
With Sol Campbell’s Southend on the horizon, Parkinson has admitted his side must play take a high-octane approach if they are to pick apart The Shrimpers on Saturday.
“We have got to keep improving on the service our front players get,” he said.
“If we do that then we have the players who will get us the goals as we showed against Tranmere.
“It’s about creating an intensity to our game. When you look at the Tranmere match, we know they would try and slow the game down like Southend will tomorrow.
"It's up to us to counteract that. We have got to play at a real pace with and without the ball.
He continued: “Can we move the ball quickly? When we lose it can we win it back quickly?
“We have got to really try our best to speed the game up tomorrow and if we do that then the fans will give us the same backing we had against Tranmere.”
