DESPITE having to settle for another starring substitute appearance, Darren Byfield insists he is happy so long as his goals keep firing Sunderland towards promotion.

After just seconds on the pitch at Wimbledon on Tuesday night, the Black Cats striker grabbed the winner with his first touch of the ball.

It was the third time Byfield, who now has five to his name since moving from Rotherham on February 5, has found the net after coming from the bench.

The former Aston Villa trainee celebrated by running straight for the Sunderland dug-out and slapping hands with the man he replaced, Marcus Stewart.

And Byfield, in line to start against Sheffield United tomorrow, believes it is imperative that all the club's forwards stick together to achieve their common aim - assuring Sunderland claim a place in the Premiership next season.

"Ive been getting some important goals lately so I want to keep those going and help us get promoted," said the 27-year-old, who is hoping to extend his stay on Wearside beyond his existing deal which runs out in the summer.

"I'd rather start games, that's obvious, and I don't know what will happen on Friday. But when you are not playing you have to hide your disappointment and help the rest of the team focus.

"I actually gave Marcus the high-five when I scored on Tuesday and that was for no other reason than I was happy. Whoever is playing up front there is no animosity between the four strikers involved. Tommy Smith, Kevin Kyle, Marcus or myself.

"We are all trying to do our best for the team, so when one of us is playing we try to give our all while the others give us plenty of encouragement."

Byfield was cup-tied for Sunday's depressing 1-0 FA cup semi-final defeat to Millwall at Old Trafford.

But he insists that, despite sitting in the stands, he felt the heartache as much as everyone else connected with the club when Sunderland missed out on a trip to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Byfield, though, thinks that the three points picked up in Milton Keynes has gone a long way to helping Mick McCarthy's side recover from their Cup trauma.

"The gaffer said a little bit before the game but the main thing was that we could wipeout that defeat to Millwall by winning at Wimbledon," said Byfield, who, along with the rest of the Sunderland squad returned to the North-East yesterday for the first time since Saturday.

"If we'd have drawn or lost at Wimbledon then it would have been a bad weekend for us. We needed a win to get over that result against Millwall.

"It's also been a long weekend. That has to be remembered because when you lose, your energy levels are drained. When we lost it was also hugely deflating. The best medicine was to win, to win at Wimbledon and that's what we have done."

Sunderland welcome play-off rivals Sheffield United to the Stadium of Light tomorrow before a long trip to Ipswich on Monday.

Those two games will determine whether or not McCarthy's men can catch the top two in Division One.

Sunderland are eight points adrift of Norwich and West Brom with a game in hand and Byfield is convinced they can claim an automatic spot.

He said: "We have massive games now. We have Sheff U, who are a good side, then we have Ipswich, another hard game, but we have got to just look at one at a time.

"I think the top two is a definite for us. We can do it without a doubt. The semi-final was a disappointment, losing. It was an even bigger disappointment just afterwards when West Brom hit a late winner at Ipswich. But they have got to come to the Stadium of Light as have Norwich so we will give them a game."

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