JACK ROSS has not been overawed by the size of the task he faces at Sunderland and has outlined how he wants to be the manager who delivers sustained success at the Stadium of Light.

Ross has been overwhelmed at times by the thousands of fans travelling to every Black Cats away game and he there will be another crowd of around the 30,000 mark for this afternoon’s visit of Wycombe in League One.

To attract such huge numbers in the third tier of the English game highlights how big Sunderland is. It has made Ross realise how important it is that he leads the club back to the big time.

Sunderland could hit top spot by defeating Wycombe today and then it will be about staying there to seal a return to the Championship.

Even if he achieves that, Ross will still not be happy until he has really brought the good times back to Wearside after years of his predecessors trying – and failing.

Ross said: “We have done nothing so far other than give ourselves a good start to the season. A platform to try to get out of this division at the first time of asking.

“There’s two parts to that rebuild. How the playing squad has responded. I am really pleased with that. In the grand scheme of things the club has almost unlimited potential. I want to take it to the maximum, but that may take a few years yet and football is fickle and things can change quickly.

“I am focused on the first thing we can achieve and that is promotion from League One. Then you adjust the ambition from there.”

This is Ross’ first managerial post in England having had spells with Dumbarton, Hearts’ Under-20s, Alloa and St Mirren. The 42-year-old has adapted quickly, and has taken everything he has encountered in his stride.

He said: “I had other opportunities before I came here. I chose it even though some people may have been saying it was not the right one.

“For me the potential was huge and if I get it right I know where we can take the club. It is a privilege to manage here. The facilities, the stadium, the fan base ...”

And Ross, who left St Mirren after guiding them back to the Scottish Premier League, readily admits the initial challenge has been even greater than he had expected – on and off the pitch.

He said: “As time marches on you tend to forget where you were, even six months ago. The task was probably bigger than I envisaged back then. I knew it was going to be big, but when you come in and understand some of the complexities of what was going on you then realise.”