DAVID MOYES wants every game to be treated as a huge challenge in his bid to steer Sunderland clear of trouble and feels he has key players at opposite ends of the pitch to ensure Premier League football will be played at the Stadium of Light next season.

The Black Cats head to bottom club Swansea this Saturday in a much better position, even though they remain a point shy of safety after collecting nine points from their last 12; with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and striker Jermain Defoe the key men.

The turnaround is a far cry from the opening winless ten matches when it was easy to surmise that Sunderland were heading to the Championship for the first time since 2007.

But Moyes has new levels of confidence that his team can climb out of the bottom three even if he does not want any match to be treated any differently.

He said: “I have been told that every game is a big game. That is what the Premier League is. We build it up and build it up, but it’s three points, that’s the main thing, but a really big three points because we are both at the wrong end of the table.

“We want to keep going and to make sure we are a Premier League team. That is what we have to do.”

He added: “I didn’t have much time to work on things when I came in and that has probably more to do with it than any mini revival. But I would still rather be out of the bottom three and not in that position. We have picked up a couple of really good wins. The players are playing well. We have to keep going.”

While Defoe has struck eight times in a struggling side, Pickford has been just as important at the opposite end with a number of fine saves to help Sunderland. His late heroics in stoppage-time against Leicester preserved the one-goal lead and he has been called into Gareth Southgate's England squad.

Moyes said: “I’d obviously known Jermain Defoe as a player, he was a massive goal threat. When you work with him you realise just how great he is as a goalscorer, he has great power shooting right or left foot. Overall he gives us a great chance. We know we have a really good keeper and centre forward. At both ends we have a really good chance.

“Jordan has been incredible. He really has. It’s never easy to put in young keepers. He made a mistake against Southampton which probably cost us a couple of points but after that he has won us points. For someone to play with so much maturity at his age, it is great experience for him.”

Sunderland’s improvements have not come as a complete surprise to Moyes, who has regularly suggested there have been performances deserving of more than a defeat. Battling to beat the drop is not something he is overly familiar with, but he thinks there is the experience in the dressing room to win the fight.

He said: “The truth is I have never been at the bottom end of the league for too long, one spell at Everton, but most of the time I have been pushing near the top. I have a lot of Premier League experience. Hopefully that will help me.

“We want to build a team that keeps getting better. Sunderland have bobbed along the bottom for too long, and we are trying to change that. People like Jermain Defoe, Steven Pienaar … who have been around the block before … they can help us to make sure we are not at the bottom at the end of the season.”

It has not been all good news for Sunderland. Duncan Watmore has been ruled out for the rest of the season with knee trouble.

Watmore sustained the ligament injury in the latter stages of the Leicester win when he was challenged by Christian Fuchs.

Moyes said: “It is sad news because he is a great boy. Duncan has been terrific for us so he didn’t deserve that, but he will come back.

"These injuries are happening more regularly now, players are coming back, surgeons are better, so we look forward to Duncan returning. But it will probably not be until the start of next season now.”