Luke O'Nien's upbeat Sunderland verdict as he identifies key challenge for the season ahead

Luke O'Nien believes Sunderland have shown they can thrive in what promises to be a ferociously competitive Championship this season, and has backed them to overcome the challenge of increased pressure.

Sunderland are in the US after surpassing all expectations by finishing sixth last season, and O'Nien knows he and his team mates will have to overcome being seen as a much bigger threat right from the outset this time around.

“Confidence comes from the past, and what you’ve done," he said.

"What we did last season can only give us more confidence because you get confidence from doing things, being there and doing it can only help us. Sometimes, second seasons can be a different challenge because your blueprint is out there and other teams can get a bit more familiar with you.

"That’s going to be a really nice challenge for us going into this season because teams are familiar with us and that might change the way they’re going to try to stop us because they’ve seen us now instead of us having that element of surprise. But that’s only going to help us grow and develop if we can get over that problem as well. I just see it that we’re in a really good position and really looking forward to the season. There’s going to be challenges and problems thrown at every team, and you just have to overcome it."

The second tier looks far stronger on paper this time around but O'Nien says Sunderland have shown they can cope.

“I don’t think the league will be too much different," O'Nien said.

"It’ll be a competitive league, but last year was a competitive league. I don’t think this year will be any different. Last year, we put in some really good performances against the strongest teams. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it shows that we’re competitive. "We’ll be going into every game believing we can get points, but we’ve got to do a lot of work between then and now. It’s a familiar feeling, and we know what we want to do. We’ve got to look forward to America because it’s important to put in the foundations by putting in the performances now.

“I think we did well last season, so there’s no reason to change too much, it’s just been about trying to add a few things. You get players coming in and players going, and it’s not down to the players what happens there. We’re just here to serve the manager and the club in the best way possible. Hopefully, we can stay, and if they bring players in, then it’s our job to help them integrate and perform. Our job is all about performance, and that’s no different whether you’re playing, on the bench or injured.

“I think it’s important to drive high. I think this club has always done that, and it’s no different for us. We’ve set a base level last year, and it’s important we build on that and try to get better every single year.  Ever since I’ve been here, that’s been the case in each of the last five years, we’ve always been looking to try to get better. I’m in my sixth season now, and that’s always the case."