GOAL hero Steve Caldwell has warned his teammates they must curb their 'gung-ho' style if they hope to be in the promotion shake-up come May.

The former Newcastle centre-back was the toast of Wearside on Saturday night with his 90th minute header ensuring Sunderland didn't see an unbeaten home record end in only their second game of the season at the Stadium of Light.

Caldwell, however, was more concerned about the two goals the Black Cats gave away rather than his rescue act.

"It's a concern because we've lost two goals at home and really that should never happen again this season," said the 23-year-old.

"We've got all the play, all the possession and we leave ourselves open a little bit.

"We have to make sure we have a defensive block there and we're not all going gung-ho trying to score goals all the time."

Caldwell, who joined on a free transfer from Tyneside in the summer, was on target in only his second game for his new club, but he is well aware where his priorities lie.

He said: "I'm pleased I scored but would have been happier to come off the pitch with a clean sheet because we would have won 1-0 whether my header had gone in or not.

"It's important we keep the unbeaten run going at the stadium but everyone knows we didn't play well. We can play a lot better as we showed on Tuesday night when we were sensational going forward.

"The legs felt a little bit heavy and sometimes you just have to grind out a result. It was disappointing from a defending point of view because they were two slack goals to give away.

"We're always concerned when we lose goals - we want clean sheets. But three games have gone and we're trying to bed ourselves into this season so it's (conceding goals) not a major worry."

Caldwell is well aware Mick McCarthy will address any defensive concerns this week, and expects the team to become a lot more difficult to break down in the months ahead.

He said: "I'm part of the group who are trying to sort it out but it's up to the manager what he wants to do.

"We're a bit open because we're so intent on going playing, passing the ball and creating chances, I think we leave ourselves open a little bit.

"We'll work on that and get that tied down because as you see we've got fantastic defenders at this club and good defenders who are sitting on the bench and not getting a game.

"We've got the cover and we've got the players who can stop goals in this league."

* Caldwell is expected to join Kevin Kyle in withdrawing from the Scotland squad, with the centre-back nursing a groin injury.

The defender is confident he'll be fit for Saturday's trip to Plymouth but there remains concerns over Kyle's hip problem.

McCarthy said: "He (Kyle) has to have treatment on his hip again.

"He'll see a specialist on Tuesday - we'll just keep monitoring it."