The Sunderland manager confesses to Hull City as the play-off contenders get ready for a pivotal match.

Sunderland manager Michael Beale says it’s imperative his players respond against Hull City on Friday night when the two play-off hopefuls meet in front of the television cameras on Wearside.

The Black Cats dropped out of the top six after seeing their early lead at Ipswich Town cancelled out with Beale’s men going on to lose 2-1 at Portman Road, while City themselves were beaten at home to Norwich City 24 hours earlier and then lost in stoppage time at Birmingham in their FA Cup replay on Tuesday night.

Defeat in Suffolk capped the end of a tough week for Beale, who saw his side comfortably beaten by arch-rivals Newcastle United in the FA Cup, amid a row about the rebranding of a Sunderland bar inside the Stadium of Light.

Pressure remains firm on Beale, who was not a universally popular appointment when he took over from Tony Mowbray, having lost three of his six games in charge, though one of those victories was against City at the MKM Stadium on Boxing Day, courtesy of Jack Clarke’s winner.

He says a lack of cutting edge in the final third has not been helping his side, with the Black Cats overly reliant on winger Clarke who has notched 13 goals this season.

“It’s a big game, but it’s important we dust ourselves down (at home) and bounce back strongly,” Beale confessed. “It’s a team we’ve played recently and beat, and it’s important we get back to winning ways at home.

“We’re not ruthless enough in the final third, but if you can’t win it, don’t lose the game, and don’t lose it like that. It’s so frustrating for us because it was a good performance. We had enough of the game to get something out of it, so it wasn’t all wrong. It was just very naive in a big moment in the game, and it’s fine margins. You could see how much it meant to Ipswich at the end and how much the three points meant to them. That one moment in a set-play has got to mean more to us.