Sunderland boss Roy Keane will not reflect upon his first season back in the Premier League until the final ball is kicked.The Irishman has seen his side give themselves every chance of avoiding relegation and finishing in a healthy position with successive wins over Aston Villa and West Ham, and their fortunes will take a further turn for the better if they can continue that form at struggling Fulham on Saturday.
However despite enjoying the taste of victory, Keane did not allow himself to savour it for too long.
The manager and his players flew off to a warm weather training camp in Spain immediately after the game, and have returned intent on continuing their rousing finish to a campaign which ends with Arsenal's visit to the Stadium of Light on May 11.
Keane said: "I have been in the game a long time. There is a satisfaction when you win any game of football.
"Any victory, you enjoy it, but trust me, it passes very, very quickly.
"Maybe the players enjoy it a little bit longer, but as a manager, you have got to focus on the next match very, very quickly.
"The only time I, hopefully, will let myself go is after the Arsenal game when we are secure and we can plan for next season.
"But at this moment in time, the name of the game is just stay focused and trust your players, keep the faith, like they have all season.
"I knew when we had a full squad, we would be fine, but we have to go out and get results."
The return of Carlos Edwards and Kieran Richardson from long-term injuries, as well as Andy Reid's rapidly returning fitness, have been a major factor in Sunderland's improved form.
Since their comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Liverpool on February 2, they have conceded just four goals in seven games, and while they have scored only one more, that has been enough to bring them 10 points from a possible 21, a healthy return for a club which at one point looked deep in trouble.
There is still work to be done, but Keane, whose side had not earned back-to-back victories in 126 top-flight games before last weekend and have not won three on the trot since December 2000, knows a developing consistency will be invaluable, both this season and beyond.
He said: "That's why we are down at the bottom, we are not consistent.
"On any given day, yes, you might give a team a game and like us, you might get six, seven, eight victories throughout the course of a season.
"But the reason you are near the bottom is that you don't build on it.
"If there was ever a time for us to try to get a consistent run, it would be a great time to start now, especially now I have a fully-fit squad to pick from. That gives us a good chance."
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