Sunderland skipper Dean Whitehead is confident he and his team-mates will be better for their tough introduction to life in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old is convinced the trials and tribulations of a difficult start will make his side stronger for the second half of the season.

He said: "We have a lot of players who were inexperienced in the Premier League and we are gaining experience as we go along.

"We will definitely get better as we go. We all had expectations coming into the season that we would do this and do that.

"But we find ourselves in a position we don't want to be in, so we have to knuckle down and make sure we start getting points on the board sooner rather than later.

"There are a lot of teams near the bottom who are very close in terms of points, so if we can get a win, all of a sudden, you are three or four points above the relegation zone.

"In this league, wins are massive, especially at the bottom at the moment.

"We are very confident. We have definitely got enough in this squad to climb the table."