George Honeyman sets ambitious target for Sunderland team-mates as he talks form and midfield competition

The Black Cats were dealt a blow when Lee Cattermole was ruled out pre-match, but Honeyman and McGeouch impressed in a 2-0.

The Sunderland captain continues to play a variety of roles within Jack Ross’s system but says he sees that as a positive.

“We knew early on in the week that Catts was going to miss out,” he said.

“Early on in the season against Peterborough when he was suspended I wanted to put my marker down in the middle of midfield but unfortunately I took a whack and I couldn’t play.

“So going in the game against Plymouth, I knew I was going to be I central midfield and knowing how influential Catts has been this season, I really wanted to put down my own marker and make it feel as though whoever plays in there we’re good enough to cope.

“I played a lot with Dylan in pre-season and we were pretty successful but I enjoy playing with everyone in there.

“We’ve got a fantastic squad and anyone that comes in everyone is doing their bit and it’s a really joy to be in and around the team at the moment. Whoever is coming into the side is not only doing a job but they are doing their job really well.

“I haven’t really nailed down a position yet. I guess other people might be worried about that but as far as I’m concerned I think it’s a good thing.”

That’s because I give myself more opportunities to play because I can play in different positions,” he added.

“Maybe in years to come [central midfield] it may turn out to be my final position but for the time being I’m more than happy to do whatever the manager tells me. As long as I’m out on the pitch I don’t care."

The win over Plymouth was Sunderland’s fifth on the bounce in the league, and Honeyman wants to double that.

“I feel proud to be part of the team that I am immensely proud to be captain,” he said.

“But it really does feel as as though we’re only just getting started – the best is definitely yet to come.

“We’re doing well because we are coming into games with a strong mindset. We always seem to go from strength to strength in games – as shown by the fact we seem to really come good in second halves.

“We’ve won five league games on the spin but we’re setting our sights higher - we want to make it ten wins on the spin – at least.

“We want to keep this run going and get ourselves to the top of League One.

“It’s a real pleasure to be around the team and now we’ve got to set our sights on breaking more records as the season unfolds.”