Steve Bruce's side have plunged down the table in recent weeks, taking just four points from the last 33 on offer. With 41 points on the board and just three games of the campaign remaining, the Wearside outfit should have already done enough to stave off the threat of relegation. But Saturday's miserable 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Fulham has done little to improve the mood among the Wearside faithful. Sunderland were forced to tackle the Cottagers without a recognised forward due to their crippling injury problems, but Bardsley will not use that as an excuse. Bardsley said: "There's a part of us that would just like the season to end now. "Our aim was always to finish in the top 10, but we're going to have to dig deep if we're going to do that. "For all our endeavour and hard work, particularly in the first half, you still need to score if you're going to win matches. "To make things worse, we've given away silly goals. "It's up to the whole of the side to step up to the plate now and come up with a way of scoring."
