NYRON Nosworthy believes Sunderland were worthy winners against North-East rivals Middlesbrough at the weekend.

When Rotherham referee Howard Webb blew for full-time at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday it signalled the end of a barren Black Cats' top flight run which lasted nearly three years and 27 games.

And a battered and bruised Nosworthy reckons the Wearsiders' victory tasted all more sweeter because of that lengthy wait.

"My cuts and bruises are all worthwhile now we've got the three points," said the 24-year-old defender. "It's been a long time coming, but that only makes it all the sweeter.

"We won convincingly and that's probably the biggest buzz of all. It's not like we just scraped it - we were by far and away the better team."

Sunderland haven't reaped the rewards of their previous Premier League performances this season but against Boro they finally managed to get the balance right.

Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy commented after his side's impressive display that he believes his side are finally coming to terms with life in the Premiership.

Nosworthy echoed his manager's beliefs before adding that Sunderland's flourishing show on Sunday reeked of a side who were Premiership veterans.

"I thought we played like an established Premier League team," said the former Gillingham player.

"It was a professional performance. If you aspire to being a proper team, you have to be able to hold onto an early lead like we did.

"In the Premier League you have to defend convincingly for the whole of the game and that's what we did.

"I think what happened against West Brom was at the forefront of our minds. It was bad defending in that game and we let a good result slip away. There was no way that was going to happen again.

"We didn't want to go through all of that for the second game in a row, so everyone was really clued into what was happening in the last ten minutes or so. I think everyone in the team went that extra ten or 15 yards to make sure we didn't lose what we had. Thankfully, it paid off.

"The bumps and bruises are all part and parcel of defending. At times, that's what you have to do and I think we have a lot of players willing to put their bodies on the line if they have to.

"It comes with a reward if you win the game. Everyone has been praising us and, along with the three points, that makes it all worthwhile."

After a wretched start to life in the Premiership - with no wins or draws in five - Sunderland's victory on Teesside, added to the midweek Carling Cup win over Cheltenham and last Saturday's home draw with West Brom, means they have now stretched their unbeaten run to three.

Nosworthy, however, believes this will count for nothing unless they can follow it up with a good performance against fellow Premier League new boys West Ham at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. "The challenge now is to go on from here. This result will not count for very much if we go and lose our next game," he said.

"Everyone is pleased we have won, but let's not take things too far. One win is no good to us by itself. It's now a matter of going out there and doing it convincingly, week in, week out."

After losing their opening five games some critics and pundits were predicting a quick return to the Championship for McCarthy's men.

Nosworthy admitted it hasn't been easy for the club after their poor start but revealed everyone at the club has remained focused and positive in the face of adversity.

"It probably has been a difficult time, but it hasn't showed," said the free transfer signing. "Everyone has stayed upbeat because we have been playing well without getting the results.

"That was the main thing that kept us going. There are a lot of people who haven't played in the Premier League - myself included - and it is a big step up in class.

"When you lose two or three games on the spin, everyone outside of the club starts talking about relegation. But we never looked at it like that.

"We've come here to stay in the Premier League and we're going to fight for every point. The enthusiasm is very high and I'm sure it will continue to stay that way.

"It's nice to be off the bottom of the league. It's not something to get too worried about, but you do look at the table and it's uplifting to see someone else's name there instead of your own."

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