Errors played a part in all of the visitors goals as boss Roy Keane insisted the buck stopped with him after four straight home defeats.

Sunderland players were in sombre mood as they left the Stadium of Light following Saturday's 4-1 loss, during which skipper Dean Whitehead was jeered by a section of the support for his part in Bolton's fourth goal.

>> Video highlights: Sunderland 1 Bolton 4

This latest bitter blow leaves the Black Cats second from bottom of the Premier League heading into next weekend's visit to Manchester United.

Nosworthy said: "I have made costly mistakes in the past so I know how the lads are feeling. There's no worse feeling than making a mistake and knowing it has cost your team badly.

"At the moment we're having a sticky patch as a team and we need to get out of it as a team. We have to pull together, stick it out and fight for every point that's available."

As if the final score was not bad enough, Sunderland will also reflect ruefully on a goal they had disallowed and which would have made the score 2-2 before the break.

Djibril Cisse thought he was celebrating his seventh goal of the season and second of the match on the half hour only for the cheers to be strangled by a linesman's flag for a foul in the build-up by Kenwyne Jones.

"I thought it was a good equaliser, but I'm not going to start moaning about the officials because it won't change the result and won't change the mistakes we made in the game."

There's every chance that Saturday's televised visit to Manchester United will leave Sunderland with a seventh defeat in eight games since beating Newcastle, who remain in trouble.

Nosworthy added: "Everyone will expect us to lose at Old Trafford so anything we can get is a big result.

"We have to go there with our heads up and our chests out and give it everything. There's no point in going to Old Trafford and trying just to soak all the pressure – regardless of our position, we have to give it a go."