Sunderland's Mannone urges fans to back final push in relegation battle

Sunderland lie two points from safety behind 17th-placed Norwich City, with eight games to go. Five of those are at home and the goalkeeper believes the crowd's support can fire the club up the table.

(Reuters)

"Although the situation we're in is not nice, the way we're playing and the effort everyone is putting in will take the crowd with us for one last push," the Italian told the club's website.The Black Cats, in their eighth consecutive Premier League campaign, host 14th-placed West Bromwich Albion at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, followed by another home clash against table-topping Leicester City.

"The next (game)... is massive... The boost a victory would provide would allow us to turn a corner," Mannone said.

(Reporting By Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)