Patrick Roberts will have a key part to play as Sunderland begin their play-off campaign against Coventry City

Patrick Roberts is hoping to fulfil his goal of leading Sunderland back to the Premier League this month as Sunderland prepare to kick off their play-off campaign against Coventry City.

Roberts is now a relative veteran of the Sunderland squad, having joined three-and-half years ago from Manchester City. The winger played a key part in promotion to the Championship from League One and is hoping to repeat the trick and complete the journey he set out on when he made his debut at Lincoln City.

"You never know how long you're going to stay at places," Roberts told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"Coming to this club, I got an opportunity when I was probably falling away in my career. I was grateful enough to get an opportunity here to play, it was only for the first six months - see how that went. Obviously got extended another time and then extended again. I've got a lot of gratitude towards Sunderland for bringing me here and letting me play my football.

"I've enjoyed every minute. There's not many that were part of that League One team that are still here. Obviously Luke, Dennis has been around. Trai didn't feature much then but he's been around since then. He's been brought up with that culture and our way of how we do things here.

"I said when I first came, the objective was to get out of League One and go to the Premier League. I still stand by, we can do that and I can bring that to this club. It's all about putting all this stuff onto the pitch and getting it done. Like I said, we've done it three or four years ago. We did it out of League One which was a struggle in itself. We've got an even bigger test now. All the players are ready but it would mean the world to me. I'm looking forward to the first two games."

Sunderland ended the regular campaign with five defeats but Roberts believes the mood behind the scenes is strong and is confident that the Black Cats can deliver.

"Obviously, from a fan point of view and maybe an outside point of view, you just see what's going on on the weekend and you gauge off that. But there's been a good morale, we had a good break in Portugal.

"Like you said, if you've been in a similar position throughout the season and you lock something up early, like we did, maybe you can see a bit of complacency. I think the idea and the determination and the motivation to go into these playoffs has always been the same since the start of the season. It's not changed. From day one, the manager came in.

"It's great to have momentum, but you can also be playing really well, go into these playoffs, think you're playing too well, and you end up getting beat. It's a tough one. It's hard to gauge. You've just got to be ready for every situation. They're going to be big games. I've played a fair few big games in my time, so I know what it feels like.

"I know how you can get up for it. A lot of lads here maybe haven't played in these kind of games, so it'll be a first experience for them. You've got to guide them through it. You can't let the occasion get the better of you, it's still a game of football at the end of the day."

Roberts delivers verdict on Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris

Roberts also reflected on the impact of head coach Régis Le Bris since his arrival last summer, and expressed his confidence that he can guide Sunderland to success over the next few weeks.

"The boss is very analytical," he said.

"Even from the first day, he has been very open, always there for a chat, always there for ideas. But he also has his brand and way of playing that he sticks by. A lot of players bought into that and he's followed that the whole season.

"He's done well considering it's his first season in English football as it can be difficult. He's been a pleasure to work with and he'll have ideas and game plans ready for these next few games."

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