DUNCAN WATMORE admits he feared his season was over when he was diagnosed with ankle ligament damage, and the Sunderland winger is determined to make the most of his unexpected opportunity to contribute to his side’s survival battle in the final four games.

Watmore injured his ankle in February’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, and the initial prognosis was that he would be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

He battled his way back to fitness more quickly than expected, though, and made a goalscoring return to action when he came off the bench in the 3-0 win at Norwich City.

Having also appeared as a substitute in last weekend’s goalless draw with Arsenal, he will be back in the squad for today’s crucial trip to Stoke City, and with Sunderland’s Premier League status continuing to hang in the balance, the 22-year-old is desperate to make an impression in the games that remain.

“There was definitely a time when I wondered if I would play again this season,” said Watmore, who was named as Sunderland Supporters’ Association’s Young Player of the Year earlier this week. “Initially, it was looking like it was going to be the season over, but all the guys behind the scenes have been brilliant.

“The guys in the medical department, the sports science, the gym – they’ve all worked really hard with me. The coaches made me put in the hard work, and it’s paid off because I’m back early and looking forward to hopefully influencing the last few games.

“It’s always nice when the manager puts his faith in you, says nice things and is willing to put you straight back in. He’s given me a chance from the bench in the last two games, and I’m very grateful. I’m going to keep trying to take my opportunity and push my case to play as much as I can to do well for the team.”

Allardyce has nicknamed Watmore the ‘Roadrunner’ to reflect his pace and direct running style, and the youngster’s return has added another dimension to Sunderland’s attacking play.

He has proved especially effective in the latter stages of games, when opposition defenders are tiring and the action tends to become more stretched.

His breakthrough season has already seen him score four goals, and if he could add a couple more in the remaining four matches, he could prove the difference between survival and suffering the drop.

“Hopefully, there’ll be moments where I can make an impact,” he said. “I always feel positive about my game, and with the way I play, I have to be positive because I’m quite a direct player.

“I’ve just got to play my game for the last four games and be as direct and positive as I can. Whether that’s coming off the bench or whatever, I’m more than happy to do that. I just want to play my game for the team and make sure we get some victories.”

Today’s game at Stoke represents a significant test, even though Mark Hughes’ side have shipped four goals in each of their last three matches.

The Britannia Stadium is never an especially welcoming environment, and Sunderland have won just one of their last eight away games at Stoke.

Nevertheless, Watmore feels his side’s last few performances provide plenty of cause for optimism, with Sam Allardyce’s training-ground focus on team shape and organisation paying dividends.

Since settling on a 4-1-4-1 formation with Jan Kirchhoff playing in front of the back four, Allardyce has presided over a series of increasingly solid displays, with Sunderland’s players clearly happy with the roles they have been given.

“The manager has set us up really well, and we’re all really comfortable with what we’re doing,” said Watmore. “It’s a good system we’ve got going, and we’ve been playing well for a while now.

“Sometimes, the results haven’t quite gone our way, but we’ve turned it around a bit and we just need to make sure we can turn the decent performances into victories. We feel really good with the set-up, and we’re always happy to do what the manager wants us to do. We’re following his plan, and it’s working well.”

In particular, Sunderland have tightened up defensively, with last weekend’s shut-out against Arsenal making it three clean sheets in the last four matches.

“If you keep a clean sheet and score, then you’ve won the game, it’s as simple as that,” said Watmore. “Sometimes, football can be that simple. The manager always tells us to get the basics right and then make sure we can go on from there.

“We’ve been doing that recently. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the goal against Arsenal, but that will come with time and if we keep clean sheets, that can only help our cause.”