'Reasonably satisfied': Tony Mowbray delivers his mid-season Sunderland AFC verdict

Sunderland sit 13th in the table at the midway point of their first campaign back in the second tier, three points off the play-off places and seven clear of the bottom three.

It has been an occasionally turbulent campaign, given the departure of Alex Neil five games in and the fact that the Black Cats played eight games without any recognised strikers.

Though Sunderland suffered injury setbacks at Hull City to both Danny Batth and Elliot Embleton, Mowbray hopes that a fully-fit Ellis Simms and the returning Ross Stewart can help the club kick on.

"I think we have to be reasonably satisfied," Mowbray told safc.com.

"Most of the time I've been here we haven't had strikers. Around mid-table is I think OK - I know that our supporters want to see us up at the top of the table, competing to get out of this division. The reality I think is that without our main man up top for a very, very long time, it's not easy. We had to find a way.

"I have to give huge credit to the group that we've been working with, the likes of Pritch, Embleton and Amad who have filled in those forward areas, and the team for grasping that we couldn't play with that target man.

"Ellis has got himself fit and is doing very, very well, he's scored goals and has physicality, though the context is that he is still a young boy.

"I've been in this league a long time and there are days where you need technical players which we've had, and there are days where you need some physicality and strength. We should now have the ability to choose which way we need to go [from game to game].

"I think the team has grown and I'm enjoying it," he added.

"It has been a big transition for the players from Alex Neil and I can feel the imprint he has made on the team, I'm trying gently to change it in terms of some of things I want us to do - it wouldn't have been right for me to come in and smash it all up.

"We've got Dan Ballard back, Ellis fit, Ross Stewart on the cusp of a start.. though the sadness is of course we've picked up another couple of injuries [Danny Batth and Elliot Embleton]. I suppose that's football.

"In general the group have equipped themselves to the league very, very well because it's tough, and they've shown that they can compete against just about everybody.

"We're on a journey, we can get lots better but I think we're heading in the right direction."

Sunderland then face two fixtures in a matter of days against Wigan Athletic and Blackpool. Mowbray's side will stay in the North West between the fixtures and use some of Manchester United's training facilities as part of their preparation.