MICK McCARTHY reckons Sunderland should know by the end of the month whether they could bounce straight back into the Premiership.

The Sunderland manager claimed last night that the Division One table will be a more reliable indicator of the contenders in this season's promotion race after 10 matches.

And McCarthy's men will reach that figure on September 30, when they host Ipswich Town, after a hectic schedule of five League games and one Carling Cup tie crammed into just 18 days.

Just as McCarthy did not panic when Sunderland lost their first two Division One fixtures of the season, so he is refusing to get too heady after wins over Preston North End, Watford and Bradford City lifted the gloom from Wearside.

But he said: "Ten games is definitely a better indication. After two games, people were talking about relegation; after five games, we're supposedly favourites for promotion.

"I don't think the League table yet reflects who are going to be the top teams and who are going to be the bottom teams.

"People were having us dropping straight out of this division when we lost at Nottingham Forest and Millwall. But when we won three games on the spin, it was championship stuff.

"Stoke got off to a flier and won a couple of games, but then lost a couple. It happened in all the divisions: York won four games and then lost two.

"We don't know yet if we've played the best teams or the worst teams. And what do teams think of us?

"I'm sure Preston, Watford and Bradford think we've got a chance of going up; maybe Forest and Millwall think we've got no chance."

After starting his Sunderland reign with 11 successive League defeats, McCarthy is relishing a new kind of pressure ahead of tomorrow's home game with Crystal Palace tomorrow - having to extend a winning run.

The three victories have catapulted the club up the table after they had briefly been bottom of Division One following their first two losses of the season.

McCarthy said: "There's always pressure here, and rightly so, but after three good performances that's been increased. That's great. Let's hope some more wins will increase it even more.

"I'm sure we'll be as tough a test as Palace will have had. If we perform as well as we have done in the last three games, we'll be fine."

Jason McAteer is set to captain Sunderland tomorrow after missing more than a month with a hamstring injury.

Stephen Wright (calf) and Matty Piper (knee) are both doubtful, with Williams standing by to replace the former Liverpool man at right-back.