PATRICK ROBERTS is more than happy to accept the additional goalscoring responsibilities that have been piled onto his shoulders in the last few weeks, and is hoping Wednesday’s quickfire double at Reading is a sign of things to come.

Roberts scored two goals in the space of three first-half minutes as Sunderland shrugged off the loss of Ellis Simms to claim a 3-0 victory and climb to sixth position in the Championship table.

Simms’ toe injury, which came just over a week after his strike partner, Ross Stewart, sustained a thigh injury that could sideline him for up to two months, means the Black Cats face going into tomorrow’s game at Watford without a single centre-forward in their squad.

Roberts joined Jack Clarke and Alex Pritchard in a refashioned front three in the second half at Reading, and having been challenged to start getting into goalscoring positions more regularly by his manager, Tony Mowbray, the former England Under-21 international is determined to deliver.

“It’s something I’ve got to add to my game, and something I’ve spoken to the manager about,” said Roberts, who has scored four goals in 24 appearances since joining Sunderland in January. “He’s put a big importance on me doing it again.

“He’s seen me do it before, and he just wants me to step in, especially when the likes of Ross is missing or when Ellis goes down. It’s a job I’m willing to step up for, and it was good to start by getting the two goals.”

The Northern Echo:

Mowbray has also urged Clarke to become more involved in the opposition’s 18-yard box, and having been pushed forward into a winger role from his previous position at wing-back during the second half of Wednesday’s game, the summer signing from Spurs responded with a clinical finish to round off a sensational passing move that swept from one end of the pitch to the other for Sunderland’s third goal.

“Jack’s been on fire this season,” said Roberts. “He dips in and out of games, but he’s a top player. He’s only 21, which is amazing. He’s always running, he’s always a threat, and I thought he deserved his goal against Reading. In those areas, you need people to step up, and he’s taken it really well to top off a good performance.”

Having inflicted Reading’s first home defeat of the season on Wednesday evening, Sunderland’s players have remained in the south ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Vicarage Road.

The meeting with Watford will be the Black Cats’ third away game in succession, and second away match in less than four days, but Roberts insists he and his team-mates are not fazed by the rapid return to action.

“It’s a quick turnaround with another away game before the international break, but we knew what this crazy season was going to be like and the Championship is always mental,” he said. “We’ve got to stay ready and stay focused. We’ve got a big squad, a young squad, and we can really attack games and attack teams."