On a number of occasions this season, Steve Bruce's side have failed to take maximum points from games they should have - and Saturday's goalless draw with Fulham was another example.

As was the case in draws against Swansea and West Brom, the Black Cats had chances to beat a Fulham side that offered a relatively tame threat on Keiren Westwood's goal.

That made the missed opportunity even harder for fans to take and their discontent was made clear by a barrage of boos that met the final whistle, while cries of "Bruce out" could also be heard during the second half from sections of the crowd.

Such reactions are understandable though. Having previously gone a year in which they lost just once on Wearside from December 2009 to 2010, the Black Cats have been lacking such home comforts with only two wins from their last 15 at the Stadium of Light.

This should have been their third though, and had it not been for Mark Schwarzer's superb save from Stephane Sessegnon in the dying moments and two efforts crashing off the woodwork in the first half, Sunderland's season could have finally kick-started.

A win would have seen Bruce's side move up to 11th but instead they remain two points above the relegation zone, making next weekend's visit of basement club Wigan Athletic a must-win game.

With four points separating ten teams in the middle tier of the Premier League, a couple of wins would see Sunderland move towards a more attractive position, but on the other hand, a couple of defeats would be disastrous, especially against teams below them.

Ahead of the Fulham game, Bruce set a target of 28 points from now until early January and with home games over Wigan and Blackburn Rovers and a trip to Wolves to come, the Sunderland boss admits the next few weeks could define his side's season.

"We'll just have to wait another week and make sure we beat Wigan or try our best to beat Wigan and move on," said Bruce.

"I think the season is just about to start. We've had so many disruptions with internationals. I know we've played 12 games, but we've got something like ten or 12 games in the next six or seven weeks, which will define our season.

"We hope that we can still improve. I still think there have been improvements - certainly defensively we're far, far better than we've ever been. We've just got to find that little bit up front that makes the difference.

"Listen, in the Premier League, if you look, I think there are three points separate 12 teams. Fulham have got some good players. They've got a fantastic goalie and really good centre back. They got an England centre forward. They've got good players everywhere. So do Wigan.

"So we need a bit of patience. But we need to have a result. And that's what the Premier League is. There's an expectation and a pressure if you like, but one where we can look forward to the challenge of it and win a match. We're capable of it.

"For too long we've had days like today. We've done alright but not quite got the win. So we need to change that around.

"They come in their thousands which creates the pressure. Let's make no mistake: there's more pressure here than at a Bolton or a Blackburn or a Fulham or a Wigan because the support we have is quite unique. It's fantastic. And it's up to us to give them something to shout about at home."

A positive start from the hosts did almost give fans something to shout about - Sessegnon pouncing on Bobby Zamora's mistake before dinking a clever ball into the box towards Kieran Richardson, but his header pinged off the bar with ten minutes gone.

Despite Moussa Dembele's earlier strike producing a brilliant save from Westwood, the impetus was firmly with the Black Cats and seven minutes after Richardson's header, Sunderland hit the woodwork again.

Jack Colback did well to pounce on Damien Duff's poor attempt at clearing the ball on the edge of his area, but the midfielder's fierce strike rattled the crossbar.

The Black Cats could have been punished for their missed chances twice before the break, Phil Bardsley diverting Zamora's header away from goal before Lee Cattermole cleared off the line from Dickson Etuhu's header.

Those chances, along with a breakaway, which saw second-half substitute Andy Johnson rifle a low shot wide, were the visitor's only real attempts on goal with the home side piling on pressure in search of a late breakthrough.

Then came the chance to win it. Sessegnon's powerful strike deflected off Philippe Senderos - wrong-footing Schwarzer - but as the keeper dived left, he stuck out his right leg to divert the ball away from the net and deny Sunderland that much needed home win.