RENAISSANCE man Kelvin Davis hailed Sunderland's fanatical following after Saturday's win and insisted his side had to build on its recent success.

Black Cats fans were in buoyant mood throughout the basement encounter and roared their side on to only their second Premiership victory.

And Davis played his part in the scrappy affair at the Hawthorns too.

The Sunderland shot-stopper hasn't had the best of times since his £1.2m move from Ipswich Town and manager Mick McCarthy recently withdrew his goalkeeper from the firing line after a loss of confidence.

Ironically, his loss of form coincided when the Baggies stole a point in the 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in mid-September.

But the goalkeeper has more than redeemed himself since being restored to the first XI. And, he kept his side in the evenly contested clash in the 25th minute on Saturday when reacting instinctively to turn around the post a Ronnie Walllwork effort, which had been deflected goalbound.

"We were delighted to get that win. It's a fantastic feeling. I think we deserved it, if only for the run we have had this season. We set our stall out to have a go at winning and it paid off," said the 29-year-old goalkeeper who kept his third clean sheet in the Premier League.

"We knew that we were going to win again, we never gave up. In a lesser league than this, we would perhaps still be in mid-table but, against Premier League teams and Premier League players, you get punished."

Davis reckons his side were well worth the win and, like his manager, believes Sunderland were due a bit of good fortune.

He said: "The good luck we enjoyed was long overdue and it put a smile on our faces, it was ironic that, having played so well in recent weeks, it has taken something like that for us to win a game.

"The fans have been fantastic. You can criticise this club about two or three things but you definitely can't criticise the fans.

"My mum and dad come to the games every week and they always talk about what a fantastic atmosphere there is. The supporters are great, it's good to be part of it.

"Anyone who has been to watch our last four or five performances would not think we are so far adrift at the bottom of the league. The fans have decided to enjoy themselves and it's great to see them bouncing around. I hope they are enjoying themselves even more after this win."

Davis said the Wearsiders have no time for self-congratulation after their first win in four months and backed his side to climb their way up the league and enjoy a good FA Cup run.

He said: "We have the FA Cup game coming up, I love the competition and it's great to still be involved. We will go down (to Brentford) and look to build on this result and start a good run."

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