Mel Reay's message for players and supporters ahead of crucial game in Sunderland's title push

Mel Reay hopes that a passionate home crowd can help Sunderland bounce back from a disappointing defeat to London City Lionesses last weekend.

The Black Cats are expecting a bumper following for Sunday's River Wear Derby against Durham (2pm kick-off) and the head coach says that backing has been crucial to their strong recent home form. Reay candidly admitted that the performance at London City was the worst of the season to date but believes the team is ready to bounce back.

"We're excited to get back on the pitch following what was obviously a disappointing result against London City," Reay said.

"We've dusted ourselves down and we're excited for what's going to be a big occasion. We're glad to be playing at home and looking to get more points on the board.

"Our home form of late has been good and the crowd have played a huge part in those results. When we had our backs against the wall with just a couple of minutes to play against Lewes we certainly heard them and we need that again on Sunday.

"There was no one more disappointed than us after the game last week, we've played 18 games this season and that was probably our only poor performance. When you put into perspective we can't dwell on it because that's not normally how we perform, there were big some decisions that went against us as well. When you're not playing well then those big moments can potentially change the momentum of the game for you. We actually haven't had a penalty for about a year, which is unbelievable but we have to get on with it and we're excited to get back on the pitch.

"The message to the players is that we want to be consistent, we know exactly what we need to do. We're looking for a good, solid performance and for 17 games of this season we've done that."

Sunderland remain top of the table going into Sunday's game, though Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic have played a game less.

Tickets for Sunday's game are still available and can be purchased here.