Keane not counting chickens

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is refusing to drop his guard despite seeing his side take a major step towards Barclays Premier League survival.

The Black Cats eased their own fears and increased those of opponents Wigan with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light while the majority of the sides at the foot of the table suffered.

Goals from Dickson Etuhu – his first for the club – and Daryl Murphy, who blasted home a 75th-minute piledriver from 25 yards, clinched the points, although the Wearsiders rode their luck at times as the visitors were twice denied by the woodwork.

The win lifted Sunderland into 14th place and to within two points of derby rivals Newcastle, but Keane is in no mood to allow himself to get carried away.

He said: “We have just got to try to keep getting positive results and the table will take care of itself.

“There is no point looking at the table and losing football matches. We have got to put on positive performances.”

The game exploded into life either side of half-time when Etuhu, fresh back from the African Nations Cup, powered a header past Chris Kirkland from Dean Whitehead’s free-kick.

Wigan might have levelled within seconds, but Emile Heskey’s shot dropped just wide of the far post.

The woodwork came to Sunderland’s rescue twice during the opening minutes of the second half when old boy Kevin Kilbane fired against a post and Heskey hit the bar with a header, and Craig Gordon made three excellent saves in rapid succession as the clock ran down.

However, by that point Murphy, teed up by a sweetly-struck pass from substitute Andy Reid on his debut, had hammered an unstoppable drive into Kirkland’s top right corner to seal the win.

Keane said: “Credit to Wigan. As you would expect, it was very hard for us. We rode our luck a little bit, but we maybe earned that little bit of luck.

“Two good goals, a clean sheet – we are fairly happy. Sometimes, you have got to make your own luck.

“Yes, we have had setbacks, but that’s part of life, that’s part of football in particular.

“We have been tested, particularly with injuries in vital areas, but the players showed good character today.

“If you want to play for this football club, character is most certainly at the top of my list.”

Opposite number Steve Bruce could not quite believe his side had not managed to pick up anything from the game.

He said: “Sometimes the game is cruel. We did enough there, for me, to win the game.

“I cannot see why the referee gave a foul for the free-kick (for the first goal), and then the second goal is a wonder goal, isn’t it?

“You just scratch your head then and think it is not going to be your day.

“But we missed chance after chance after chance. We didn’t score so we go away empty-handed. You scratch your head and wonder why.

“But certainly from what I have seen there today, if we keep playing like that, I am convinced we will be all right.

“We played with a great spirit and attitude for it and for me, were the better team. But we lost 2-0.”

Meanwhile, Keane confirmed former Manchester United team-mate Quinton Fortune will not be joining the club after a lengthy trial on Wearside.

He said: “Quinton left the club last week. We just felt it was not the right option, but we wish him well because he is a great lad.

“But in the position we are in, it would be unfair to bring in a player who has not played in six, seven, eight months.”