Danny Higginbotham has vowed to do all he can to hang on to his place after helping to secure Sunderland's Premier League status.
Manager Roy Keane was dealt a major blow a fortnight ago when star defender Jonny Evans suffered a hamstring injury on the eve of the derby trip to Newcastle.
Higginbotham was the man asked to fill the Northern Ireland international's boots, and while he will not have enjoyed the 2-0 defeat at St James' Park, he scored in the 3-2 win over Middlesbrough which ended the Black Cats' relegation fears last weekend.
The 29-year-old, a £2.5million summer signing from Stoke, has had to remain patient since Evans' arrival on loan from Manchester United in January, and admits that has been tough at times.
He said: "It's been a frustrating time because as a footballer, you work hard all week and when you have nothing at the end of it, you feel as if you are not doing your job and it is a horrible feeling.
"But that's football. It has its ups and downs and it's a team game.
"All I do is when I get the opportunity to play, I go out and give 110%.
"It's a team game, the manager has made the decisions this season and no-one can fault that. He has made a lot of good decisions.
"If I get the opportunity to play again this week, then so be it. It has been a bit of an up-and-down season for me, but I have confidence in my own ability."
Sunderland find themselves plunged into another battle this weekend, but this time, it is hosts Bolton scrapping for the points they need to stay in the top flight.
Wanderers have given themselves hope with a win at Middlesbrough and last weekend's draw at Tottenham to move into 16th place in the table, a point above Birmingham in 18th.
However, Higginbotham has warned Gary Megson's men not to expect any favours tomorrow.
He said: "We have got two games left and we want to finish as high up the league as possible.
"We go to Bolton next week and they are still in a bit of a scrap, as a few teams are, so it would be daft if anyone was to say the season is over and that's it.
"We are going to go and try to get as many wins as we can and finish as high up the league as possible."
Evans could return at the Reebok Stadium after recovering from his injury, but former United team-mate Phil Bardsley has joined Dickson Etuhu in missing the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Transfer-listed midfielder Ross Wallace will hope for a return to the 16 after scoring a hat-trick for the reserves following his recovery from a knee injury.
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