TO some members of the Sunderland squad, particularly those who arrived in the summer, the prospect of a relegation battle will be an unsettling one. To Steven Fletcher, however, it is merely par for the course.

He might not like to be reminded of it, but the 28-year-old has spent the majority of his professional career battling against the drop. Relegated from the Premier League with both Burnley and Wolves, his three seasons with Sunderland have seen him finish in the bottom seven positions in the league on each occasion.

Saddled with such a record, it is important to guard against negativity. So as he prepares to embark on his side’s latest attempt to claim their first league win of the season when West Ham United visit the Stadium of Light this afternoon, Fletcher is keen to highlight the positives he can draw from his painful experiences.

As the striker surveys the wreckage of yet another disastrous start to the season, there is no sense of panic, no fear of what might lie in store. Sunderland have been in worse positions than this with him in the side, and somehow managed to haul themselves to survival. Why shouldn’t the same thing happen again?

“I’ve been through something like this for most of my career,” said Fletcher, who was a second-half substitute in last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United. “So it’s certainly not something that fazes me.

“I feel like I’m used to it. Clearly, that’s not really a good thing, but at least it gives you a sense of perspective. You could find yourself saying, ‘Well, here we go again’, but I’d rather use my past experiences as proof that it’s no use getting down about things.

“Maybe some of the younger lads aren’t used to this, and that can lead to a bit of panic. But there’s enough experience of things like this in this dressing room to make sure there’s no panicking about the situation we’re in.

“From a personal point of view, I know how to deal with this. It’s a physical battle, but it’s a mental battle as well and I can handle that.”

With Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat desperately searching for a system that will help kick-start his side’s season, there is a good chance Fletcher will find himself making only his second Premier League start of the campaign this afternoon.

The Scotsman replaced Adam Johnson in the second half of last weekend’s defeat at Old Trafford, and found himself playing as an orthodox centre-forward as Advocaat moved Fabio Borini to the flank.

The head coach has hinted at a move to a two-man forward line this week, and that could see Fletcher paired with either Borini or Jermain Defoe in an attempt to add some attacking threat to a side that has not scored in any of its last three league matches.

In the last few years, it has become increasingly rare for a side to start with two orthodox centre-forwards, with managers fearing that such a formation would lead to problems because of a lack of numbers in midfield.

Fletcher accepts it will ultimately be Advocaat that makes the call, but he does not feel the game has changed to the extent that it is no longer useful to have as many attacking options on the field as possible.

“I’d be a manager if I could work out what was the best formation to play in,” he said. “It’s personal preference, but for all the talk of new systems and formations, the game has not changed too much.

“You still have to get the ball forward, and as a striker, you still have to be looking to score. The more men you can get into the box, the more opportunity you have of scoring.

“That’s pretty simple, but obviously you have to balance that against not leaving yourself wide open at the other end of the field. It’s about finding a formation that helps you play to your strengths at both ends.”

Whatever system Advocaat chooses, it is imperative that Sunderland end their winless run as quickly as possible. They are currently four points adrift of 17th-placed Stoke City, and while West Ham have won at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City already, today’s game is a match the Black Cats will have been targeting for a positive result.

“Football is a massive confidence game, and I don’t think anyone would be flying with confidence if they were struggling to win matches,” said Fletcher. “We just need to find that now.

“The boys have been great in training and the mood has been brilliant, so that’s not an issue. But we know we need start winning games. It doesn’t really matter who we play against at the moment – we just need to get some wins on the board.”