AFTER taking the Premier League champions-elect to within a whisker of dropping points, Ricky Sbragia has called for more of the same on and off the field at home to Hull City on Saturday.

But the Scot is hoping Sunderland have more luck against their relegation rivals.

Sbragia was impressed by the way his side overcame preparations hampered by bad luck and bad weather to run the Red Devils so close.

They might have claimed a moral victory, but Sunderland are now without an actual one from their last seven matches – their worst run this season.

They are now only two points ahead of local rivals Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, who are both in the relegation zone with six matches remaining this season. "The next six games are going to be really big but we’ve got to really focus on the Hull game," warned Sbragia, who was without captain Dean Whitehead and his best player, Kieran Richardson, through injury.

"We’ve got to plan throughout the week and hope everything goes well

over the Saturday and make sure we get a fit squad.

"Talk about luck – we lost Kieran Richardson on Friday with a slight calf injury but we hope he will be available against Hull.

"Little things like that went against us in training. We’ve got to get something from the Hull game."

There are conflicting views over how deliberate the Federico Macheda goal which brought Manchester United a 2-1 win over the Black Cats was at the weekend.