Boos echoed around the Stadium of Light from disheartened fans as the final whistle was blown to end a disappointing goalless draw.

One win in their opening 12 games this season isn't exactly what supporters would have envisaged having seen nine players arrive on Wearside during the summer.

But Bardsley believes that with such significant changes to personnel, it was always going to take time for the squad to recapture the sort of form that helped them achieve a top-ten finish last season.

He said: "We need patience. We have good enough players on the pitch to go and win games and we go into it the same as we did today.

"We hit the woodwork twice and had a great chance at the end and they only had a free-kick, one shot and a breakaway at the end which could have cost us, but on the whole on the plus side we look solid, created chances and deserved to win and it's another point on the board.

"Everyone gets a bit carried away don't they? Thinking we are going to win leagues and stuff with nine new players but it isn't going to happen.

"We need a little bit of patience. We have been playing some good football it is clicking slowly and we can get that win that we want."

Despite teams below them picking up points, Saturday's draw moved the Black Cats two points clear of the relegation places.

With games against Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn to come in the near future, Bardsley admits taking points from teams around them will be vital if they are to pull away from danger and he believes the next few weeks pose the perfect opportunity for his side to do so.

However, the versatile defender knows that like Fulham, who were below Sunderland prior to Saturday's game, teams fighting in and around the bottom three will come to the Stadium of Light ready to battle.

"People think these teams will just come and roll over, but they have top players in their teams, and internationals, which is why the Premier League has improved so much," the 26-year-old said.

"The league is so close that a couple of back-to-back wins and you can get up that league. We have Wigan first, then Wolves and Blackburn at home, a run of games where we have to get points on the board, we should have got three today but it wasn't to be."