JOHN O’SHEA can fully understand the mounting frustration within the Sunderland support, and while survival might be an unrealistic ambition, the Black Cats skipper admits he and his team-mates have to repay the fans’ loyalty in the final five games of the season.

Wednesday’s Tees-Wear derby defeat at Middlesbrough effectively sealed Sunderland’s fate at the foot of the Premier League table, and was accompanied by a series of increasingly angry chants from the 3,000-or-so fans packed into the Riverside’s away end.

The travelling supporters called for David Moyes’ dismissal before turning on the players at the final whistle, with loud cries of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ greeting the handful of Sunderland players who walked over to the away contingent in the wake of their 1-0 defeat.

The mood at tomorrow’s home game with Bournemouth could be extremely ugly, with the Black Cats’ relegation set to be confirmed if they fail to better Hull City’s result at Southampton.

The supporters have clearly been sickened by a season that has seen Sunderland win just four of their 33 league games, and having watched his side battle against relegation for the vast majority of his six years on Wearside, O’Shea is not surprised they have decided enough is enough.

“People won’t be happy, and rightly so,” said O’Shea, who has been partnering Jason Denayer at the heart of the back four in the last few games. “Nobody's happy at the position we're in.

“It’s only right that people aren’t happy. First and foremost, when I look around the dressing room, I can see there are people hurting massively, but when you see the travelling support again it amazes me every time.

“They’re going to be looking at us saying, ‘Give us something back at least’, and we have to do that. As players, we have to stand up and be counted and do that.”

Bravery comes in a number of forms on the football field, and while Sunderland’s players might not have been shirking challenges in Wednesday’s defeat to Middlesbrough, there was a noticeable reluctance to take the ball in difficult positions and attempt to try something different to engineer a breakthrough.

Didier Ndong was the only player willing to run with the ball at his feet, and with Bournemouth having put four goals past Boro last weekend, Sunderland’s players will have to be more adventurous if they are to avoid another humiliating experience today.

They might have to contend with more abuse from the stands, particularly if they start slowly or fall behind, but having experienced countless highs and lows during his two decades in the game, O’Shea claims dealing with criticism is part and parcel of being a professional footballer.

“It’s always the case when you’re playing professional sport, elite sport,” he said. “You have to be able to cope with that pressure, and stand up and be counted. You have to do that under tough conditions.

“You have to find that resolve from somewhere to get that win. Ultimately now, performances are not the be all and end all, it’s the results we need to give ourselves a chance.

“You can see the attitude and how we’re working in training, and what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get results in games, and it’s extremely frustrating. But it’s very simple – whatever team the manager picks has to stand up and be counted. Whatever performance we give the result is key to keeping ourselves alive.”

Sunderland are past masters at confounding the odds to scramble to safety, but they have never found themselves in as desperate a position as the one they currently inhabit.

Twelve points adrift of safety, with five games to play, they need a miracle to have any chance of surviving, and their relegation will be confirmed tomorrow if they lose and Hull claim at least a point, or they draw and Hull win at St Mary’s.

Even many fans feel it is time to put them out their misery, but while O’Shea is realistic enough to accept that Sunderland are almost certainly bound for the Championship, he claims that while there is still a glimmer of hope, there is still a reason to keep fighting.

“Games are running out, but while we still have that chance, we have to perform and do the minimum, which is to have that work rate, effort and attitude,” said O’Shea.

“It was there on Wednesday night, but it’s that bit of quality we also need to get in front of teams and finish them off. We’re going to need that against Bournemouth because they’ve shown they have plenty of quality too.”