Keane's key to staving off a Sunderland horror show

The world of drama is full of expressions of painful horror – Richard III desperately scrambling for an escape route, shouting in an increasingly fraught tone: “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”

And who could forget the primal fear etched over actor Edward Woodward’s face as he is escorted over the hill with the realisation that he is to be burned alive in The Wicker Man?

In football, the closest we get to Wicker Man-style horror is when we look at the league table and recognise that our team is up to its neck in the quicksand of relegation. It is then, when staring into the abyss, that most fans get afraid - very, very afraid.

Sunderland have had to get to grips with this fact over the last few weeks but I'm of the opinion that anyone aside from Derby County can still avoid the drop. Saturday's 1-0 away win over Aston Villa has greatly improved the Black Cats' chances of staying afloat.