LIAM LAWRENCE is determined to erase the painful memory of last season's play-off final by securing automatic promotion this time around.

Lawrence was part of Mansfield Town's emotionally draining defeat to Huddersfield Town at the Millennium Stadium last May. The Stags eventually went down 4-1 on penalties after the game had ended at 0-0.

The loss was all the more agonising for the midfielder as he was one of those to miss in the penalty shoot-out.

Sunderland fans need no reminding of the agony and empty void left by a play-off failure.

Last season the Black Cats crashed out to Crystal Palace in the semi-finals.

Six years earlier, against Charlton Athletic, they were involved in arguably one of the greatest games of all time. With the contest poised at 4-4 after extra-time, the Wearsiders eventually lost out on a return to the Premiership on penalties. Former defender Michael Gray was the villain that day when, like Lawrence, he failed to convert from 12 yards.

"The disappointment of not getting promoted last season was bad, and I can understand it was the same for Sunderland," said Mick McCarthy's £175,000 signing.

"The play-offs are a cruel place and we need to stay in the top two now and push on to get promoted. The way things ended up was gutting for me. After playing for Mansfield for all of those years and to not get promoted was sickening."

Lawrence feels he is a better player for the Millennium Stadium experience but is doubly determined not to go through the roller-coaster of emotions again.

"The game gave me some important experience - not to touch the ball when there's a penalty," quipped the 23-year-old. "But you do learn from your mistakes and hopefully we won't need to take part in the play-offs this year."

Lawrence was used sparingly by the Black Cats at the beginning of the promotion campaign but had just about established himself in his first-team line-up after a run of six consecutive games when he was injured in Sunderland's 2-1 away victory at Nottingham Forest in December.

He said it couldn't have come at a worse time for him, adding: "It was very frustrating for me. We got the win at Forest and I had just got a run of games in the side and to get injured at that stage of the season was a bit gutting. But I have to battle on and get through it.

"We were doing well in the league and we were pushing on but you get setbacks like that and you have to get on with it."

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old made a surprise return to the Black Cats' line up last weekend in the 2-1 home victory over Cardiff after two months out with a torn ligament. A combination of injuries and suspensions meant he got a 60-minute run-out when he replaced the injured Mark Lynch early in the first half.

"I was glad to get back into it and I wasn't expecting too long, to be honest," he admitted. "But it was pleasing because I needed a game. I had only had a 60-minute practice game (before the 2-1 victory over Cardiff on Saturday) but it's never the same.

"I think the manager maybe wanted to give me another week's training before he put me in but I was delighted to get 60 minutes and was just glad to be back out there playing and in the team.

"There is a suspension and another injury for Friday, so hopefully the manager will consider me for the game."

But would the midfielder be happy to cover at right-back to guarantee a place in the line-up?

"I'm not so sure about that," he said.

"I think Dean Whitehead is a better full-back than me."

Mick McCarthy yesterday revealed that Lynch's injury isn't as bad as he first feared.

The former Manchester United full-back limped out of Saturday's game with a suspected dislocated knee but McCarthy said: "Mark is a lot better than we expected him to be. We're disappointed he got injured because he's a great lad. He got back in the team and he had started well in the game, but he'll recover very quickly.

"Fingers crossed he'll back in four weeks, rather than the six to eight weeks people were talking about. It hasn't fully dislocated. When (physio) Pete Friar went across to him his patella popped back in."

Both Julio Arca and Stephen Elliott remain doubts for the trip to Burnley tomorrow. Arca is still feeling some discomfort after a bang on his hip and Elliott is struggling with a groin strain.

Kevin Kyle has had an injection to cure his troublesome hip and McCarthy expects him to step up his training programme next week.

* Last night's reserves game against Bolton at Durham was postponed due to the weather.

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