MICK McCarthy last night spoke of his "absolute relief" after Sunderland spent 87 minutes defending the one-goal advantage over Wigan that has left them with one foot in the Premiership.

Marcus Stewart's early opener preceded a closely-fought contest in which the home side enjoyed plentiful possession but proved unable to unlock a spirited Sunderland defence.

The resultant 1-0 win leaves McCarthy's side eight points clear of third-placed Wigan and, while the Black Cats boss is refusing to take anything for granted with five games of the season to go, he admitted that last night's result provided some vital breathing space.

"I'm absolutely delighted," said McCarthy, who can now boast eight successive wins at a crucial stage of the campaign. "We celebrated at the end out of relief, absolute relief.

"I don't think anyone can understand what I'm going through on that bench. No-one can know, but I'm absolutely exhausted. I won't sleep tonight but, tomorrow, I'll probably sleep for 24 hours. That really puts you through the wringer.

"I'm not saying it's over yet. We all say the same things before the game but, let me tell you, there's a massive difference between two points and eight. We have done ourselves a real service and put ourselves into a great position."

Stewart's winner was not without controversy as the striker converted Liam Lawrence's cross after the winger had appeared to take the ball out of play.

Wigan midfielder Alan Mahon stood motionless as referee Andre Marriner waved play on but, after a section of the home fans accused his side of cheating, McCarthy mocked their appeals.

"If that's cheating, I'm a Dutchman," he said. "Call me Mick Van McCarthy. He (Lawrence) was stood in front of me and I don't think the ball had gone out. If that turns out to be wrong, there's nothing anyone can do about it.

"He (Mahon) shouldn't have stopped. Do you tell schoolboys to play to the whistle? I do. If it turns out to be a wrong decision it will be a massive disappointment to Wigan. But it doesn't concern us."

McCarthy joined his players on the pitch at the final whistle, waving triumphantly to the huge travelling support that packed the JJB Stadium's East Stand.

Almost 8,000 fans made the trip across the Pennines and, after they created an atmosphere that resembled a home game, McCarthy is hoping for a similar response when Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light to face Reading on Saturday.

"The fans deserve it," he said. "They travelled en masse and our fans were great from start to finish. I sincerely hope that they do that at home this weekend.

"Away they have been amazing and it would be great to get an atmosphere like that at home."