GRANT Leadbitter’s fledgling career is already tarnished with one relegation – a second in just nine years as a professional would leave him devastated.

Dwight Yorke recently spoke of retiring without the blemish of demotion as a huge motivation for him as he approaches his 20th year in the game, and the veteran’s sage message clearly got across to Leadbitter.

The 23-year-old was part of the Mick McCarthy team who went down in 2006 with a then-record low points total, and the experience of that has left deep scars in the Chester-le-Street-born midfielder.

Despite being a junior member of the squad Leadbitter felt responsibility for that relegation – and the burden on him is even bigger as a senior player with more than 100 appearances for the Black Cats.

“Dwight is going around saying to the boys ‘I don’t want it there on my CV’ and that’s the case: none of us want it.”

Unwanted it may be, but Leadbitter’s experience of scrapping at the bottom of the table does at least prime him for a crucial battle in the relegation campaign this afternoon.

Hull arrive on Wearside in form every bit as bad as Sunderland’s run of four straight defeats – something that will likely make for a tense and nervous afternoon at the Stadium of Light. Leadbitter is wary of viewing the match as the definitive contest of their run-in – whatever happens tomorrow Sunderland will need to accrue points from their other five games – but he does accept that victories must arrive soon.

“People will look at Hull and say they’re in bad form but we haven’t won for a long time either. We’re going to have to start winning games and soon if we’re going to pull away from it.

“It’s between five teams now – I don’t think you can discount West Brom either, they’re still in it. I would say other teams can get sucked into it, but they’ve been winning and we haven’t,” he said.

MARK DOUGLAS