Sunderland are in danger of slipping behind in the League One promotion race as their search for a new head coach continues to rumble on.
The Black Cats’ sacking of Lee Johnson is, so far, unjustified as they have lost both of their matches since his departure almost two weeks ago.
The time it has taken to hire his successor could prove fatal with hopes of an automatic promotion push fading almost on a daily basis.
Go here for all the latest Sunderland AFC news
Roy Keane has now been ruled out of the race,, with Alex Neil and Grant McCann the leading candidate.
But the taks whoeever, lands the role will have to do immediately looks harder than it did a week and a half ago.
It is unlikely that, even if an announcement is made in the next couple of days, the new manager will be in position to affect the game with AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.
Interim boss Mike Dodds will be hoping to get his first win in charge of Sunderland before he hopefully hands over the reins.
Given the need for a win as well as Wimbledon’s precarious position in the table, it is a must-win game for the Black Cats at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday.
The desire for three points in the capital is exacerbated even further by the clashes against two of the three sides above Sunderland in the table that come later in February.
The first of those sees MK Dons travel to the North East next weekend in what should be the first match under the new head coach, whoever that might be.
The Dons sit just one place and two points ahead of Sunderland in the table in third at the moment and will need to be caught if pre-season aspirations are to be met.
Another home fixtures succeeds the MK Dons clash as Burton make the trip to Wearside just three days later in yet another match that will be considered must-win by everyone at the Stadium of Light.
Arguably the toughest game that Sunderland have got left this season follows the clash with the Brewers as they go to Wigan at the end of the month.
The Latics have struggled slightly in the last few weeks and the amount of games they had called off due to COVID-19 outbreaks means that they must play eight matches throughout the four weeks of February.
The fixture list eases up somewhat in March on the back of the tough trio of games as Sunderland face three sides in a row whose League One safety is still in doubt.
Games against Fleetwood and Crewe at home are succeeded by a trip to Lincoln which will need to yield a significant amount of points if a real promotion charge is to be mounted.
Before supporters can worry about those prospects though, they need to see their team appoint a new manager, a decision that must be made soon.
Otherwise, the hope of a return to the Championship that was built earlier this season could vanish into thin air with a number of teams waiting to pounce on Sunderland’s downfall.
For the latest Sunderland news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
