SUNDERLAND go into a crucial relegation double header against Bolton and West Ham without the services of influential midfielder Gavin McCann.

The England international picked up his tenth booking of the season on Saturday after a crunching challenge on Steve Finnan, and he now faces a two-match ban starting with the home game against Bolton in a fortnight.

The news is the latest blow to the club which fellow midfielder Jason McAteer has tagged "the unluckiest in the world".

The Wearsiders created enough chances at Loftus Road on Saturday to comfortably beat a poor Fulham side, but their profligacy in front of goal ultimately cost them all three points.

McAteer said: "Gavin McCann has picked up a tenth booking which was unlucky.

"The referee is one of the best in business, he's a sensible lad but I thought he got that wrong.

"It was an old-fashioned blood and guts challenge and both players went for the ball.

"Gav has five stud marks on his shin but he wasn't complaining."

Howard Wilkinson saw his side create chance after chance in the second half, but thanks to poor finishing and Fulham goalkeeper Maik Taylor they couldn't give their vocal following the goal their efforts deserved.

"With the luck we're having I think one of the lads must have done something really terrible," quipped McAteer.

"In the showers after the game I was asking what we had done wrong; we're the unluckiest club in the world.

"It started at Everton when we missed a penalty and things have gone from bad to worse."

Despite the obvious disappointment of losing a game they dominated, McAteer refused to be downbeat.

With the club seven points adrift of safety and looking certainties for the drop, the Republic of Ireland international said the fight goes on.

"There are nine game to go and it's still in our hands," said the former Bolton, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers player.

"Bolton and West Ham are must win matches but every match is like that for us now and it has been like that for a while.

"We're not stupid, we know its a serious situation but we also know we can get out of it.

"The way we played at Loftus Road has to give us hope. It was an honest committed and attacking performance which deserved much more.

"We desperately wanted to make up for last week (the Middlesbrough defeat).

"We came into the game on the back of a solid week's training and worked on a few things that nearly came off.

"The gaffer did his homework and got it right. We created enough chances to win the match - when you run your socks off for 80 minutes and then you lose the game it's very very difficult."

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