Bruce's four games to date against Bolton since he took over at the Stadium of Light have all resulted in victory, and as the Black Cats prepare to head for the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, a fifth successive win could hardly be more timely. Sunderland could conceivably find themselves in the Premier League relegation zone this weekend if they do not improve upon a miserable run of just one victory in their eight league games to date. They head for the north-west just a point better off than bottom-of-the table Blackburn and clear of the bottom three only by virtue of goal difference. The table does not make for pleasant reading, but while Bruce cannot avoid looking at it, he is confident better times are just around the corner. He said: "I would be lying if I said I didn't [look at the table], but Arsenal were one point above us last week and beat us and went to 10th. "The Premier League this year has got a familiar look to it, where the big boys are beating everybody, and that's usually been the case in the Premier League. "There are 10, 12 teams, separated by three or four points, which is good. "When you are on a disappointing run like we are at the moment, we know that we are a win away from being in mid-table, so let's hope. "We have got a good record at Bolton - let's hope we can go and play there. "I think the longer it goes on, the better we will become here. I hope that's the case. "Certainly, though, we need to go and win a few games. We have had a disappointing start, we are aware of that. We must try now to win a few games. "When you look at our group of fixtures from now until Christmas, you would think, 'Here's the opportunity'." Bruce has found himself under pressure, from outside rather than inside the club, ever since the derby defeat by Newcastle in the second game of the campaign, and the fact that the Black Cats' derby rivals are currently unbeaten and flying high in fourth place has not helped his cause. However, he remains unbowed as he attempts to turn the club's season around. He said: "I haven't waned from the idea of what I want to try to achieve here, that remains the same with me. "You have got to be prepared to take a bit of stick. If you are in this game and you are managing at this level, it's going to be levelled at you and you have got to see it through, see it for what it is, remain positive and make sure your team remains positive too. "That is still unchanged." Bruce will be boosted this weekend by the return of striker Nicklas Bendtner, who was ineligible for last week's 2-1 defeat by parent club Arsenal, and full-back Phil Bardsley, whose four-match suspension has lasted six weeks. The manager is particularly pleased to have the Dane, who he could pair for the first time from the start with teenager Connor Wickham tomorrow, back at his disposal. He said: "He has had a good start, which is typical of Nick. He's got that larger-than-life personality which has made him it the ground running. "The one thing you can't question is his ability, and that rubs off on people around him. They realise what a good player he is and that can only help. "He scored the winner against Portugal for Denmark - he is playing very, very well at the moment, and I hope that continues."
