GUS POYET has backed Sunderland’s misfiring strikers to start finding the back of the net, but insisted his side cannot get too concerned about their lack of goalscoring success this season.

The Black Cats head into Saturday’s home game with Stoke City on the back of a barren run that has seen them fail to score in three of their last four Premier League matches. None of their four strikers - Connor Wickham, Steven Fletcher, Jozy Altdiore and Danny Graham - have scored in the Premier League.

The lack of attacking threat helps explain why the Black Cats are still searching for their first Premier League victory, but Poyet remains confident things will change as long as his players do not begin to panic in the final third.

“I’m still confident the strikers will score,” said the Sunderland head coach. “They’ll be given their chance to do so, but only time will tell.

“We’re not panicking, although another 0-0 wouldn’t be great and would put us in a situation where we’re wondering about when we’re going to get another goal.

“The idea is to have the balance and shape. We can’t have too many creative players in there and can’t just boot it forward to the strikers route one.”

The flip side to Sunderland’s lack of goals is that they have only conceded six in six league games this season, and the chronic inconsistencies that plagued them last term have largely been ironed out.

“We’re stronger mentally and in better shape, and more difficult to beat,” said Poyet. “We’re doing the basics right, the most difficult part is scoring goals.

“The top strikers go for more than £30-40m, so that shows how hard it is to score goals and how valuable players are who can score.”

On Saturday, Sunderland will run into a striker who scored as recently as Monday night in the shape of former England international Peter Crouch.

Crouch’s headed winner secured the 1-0 win over Newcastle that piled more pressure on Alan Pardew, and Poyet accepts his defenders will have to be mindful of the striker’s prodigious aerial threat.

“You don’t have too many 6ft 7in players like Crouch to deal with, but that’s what we have to do and be aware of his size and the way he plays the game,” he said. “There’s plenty of things you can do before the ball gets to Crouchy. You can’t complain about Stoke using him and playing to their strengths.”