COSTEL PANTILIMON wants Sunderland to show greater ambition once Premier League safety has been preserved for a further season ahead of a date with Aston Villa which has grown in importance.

The Black Cats are just a point and a place above the Villains and defeat for either on Saturday could see them drop even closer to occupying a relegation spot.

Aston Villa have enjoyed back-to-back victories under new boss Tim Sherwood so will be heading for the Stadium of Light full of confidence, while Gus Poyet has not led Sunderland to a win in six matches.

The frustrations have been clear among the supporters, even though Poyet and the players are of the belief that performances have improved and that enough points will be achieved to stay in the Premier League.

Pantilimon, whose last-gasp save at the KC Stadium eight days ago helped preserve a much-needed point against Hull City, thinks the Poyet plan is the right way to go but admits further changes could be needed, provided they can stay up.

“It’s not easy, you need time for a project to work,” said Pantilimon. “For the head coach, it’s only his second year here, his first full one, and I think he needs time. We need time, especially in the summer if we sign new players.

“We need time to adapt, to have more ambition. But at this moment, this is the situation, and for us it’s important to continue fighting to remain in the Premier League.”

Pantilimon did not want to dwell for too long on what has been a problem season for Sunderland, instead choosing to reflect on the positives in recent displays that have suggested the Wearside team can stay above the bottom three.

“At this moment the only thing I think, and the most important thing, is to remain in the Premier League, to play good football, because we have players with quality, to show something different, and to build a stronger team for the future,” said Pantilimon.

“From pre-season, they tried to bring the kind of players to the club to play a certain type of football. Sometimes we’ve done it well, sometimes maybe not. But you have to continue to work hard, and keep following the head coach’s ideas.

“I knew (when I signed) what the project was here, I knew the team spirit. I spoke with the head coach and he explained to me plenty of things about what was happening at the club.

“In the dressing room, I only see good players. But sometimes it’s like that. You never know what can happen. It’s just important for us to fight, to work hard and to remain in the Premier League.”

Since the turn of the year Poyet has annoyed sections of the club’s fans with some of his comments and he moved to try to repair any fractures by penning an open letter in the hope of galvanising the support.

The letter has helped. Sunderland have been backed to earn two points from three games, with a defeat at Manchester United sandwiched in between draws with Hull and West Brom. Poyet was frustrated, though, at the way his side had to battle back from falling behind at Hull last week.

His emotions boiled over on the touchline when he kicked over a drinks box in his technical area which led to him being sent to the stands and an unsavoury confrontation with Hull boss Steve Bruce. The Uruguayan has since denied a FA charge of improper conduct and requested a personal hearing.

Pantilimon said: “He loves football. He knows what to take from us, and what we put on the pitch. Sometimes it’s frustrating because we are not in the best position we maybe want to be in. So it’s important at this moment to look forward, and to remain in the Premier League, in a good position.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating. If you look at our team, you have a lot of players who have won trophies, but what can you do? This is football. Sometimes it can happen. It’s important to stay in a good position.

“We still have games, so we don’t think about (our position) normally. You only look forward, and think about helping to get good results. You never think about what might happen. If, if? No. It’s not good to think like this, or to look at it like that.”

Sunderland’s trip to Arsenal next month has been postponed due to the Gunners’ progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.

No new date has yet been set for the Premier League fixture at the Emirates, which was due to take place on April 18 before Arsenal defeated Manchester United in the quarter-finals on Monday night at Old Trafford.