Sunderland striker Connor Wickham has warned his struggling side that there is no margin for error now if they are to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Gus Poyet's men, who lost against Liverpool in midweek, host West Ham United on Monday night looking for a first win in seven games, and the 20-year-old admits that the need for home victories is now crucial.
Wickham told Sky Sports News: "We haven't got a choice. We need to start picking up points.
"We need to start looking at the reality now that we need to start picking up points. Scrappy points or good points, we just need to get the points on the board.
"It's up to us to start performing against not just the big teams, but the teams in and around us and start picking up points."
The Mackems are currently in 18th place in the Premier League on 25 points.
