Skipper John O'Shea has challenged Sunderland to keep their fate in their own hands by securing a fifth successive derby victory over Newcastle . The Wear-Tyne rivals meet at the Stadium of Light on Sunday with Sunderland having won the last four meetings , but in grave need of three points to ease themselves away from the developing battle for Barclays Premier League survival . O'Shea and his team-mates could find themselves inside the relegation zone by the time they run out if Burnley get the better of Tottenham in the day 's earlier kick-off , and that would make three points a necessity . John O'Shea , pictured playing for Ireland at the weekend , wants a fifth straight derby win against Newcastle . The Black Cats captain celebrates scoring against Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby of 2012 . The Republic of Ireland international told SAFSee : 'That 's the big issue : whoever we were facing this weekend , be in Newcastle , be it Crystal Palace , be it Southampton , whoever the case may be , it 's a case of getting the three points as soon as we can and getting everyone energised again and looking forward to the remaining games . 'Look , we know we 're not in the position that we 'd like to be in , but we know we can get out of it . It 's in our hands . ' After a dreadful run of results against their arch-rivals , the Black Cats have fared rather well in recent times , winning the last three at St James ' Park and the most recent game on Wearside . Asked what lay behind that run of results , O'Shea said : 'Staying together as a unit , keeping the team spirit strong , working as a unit all over the pitch and taking chances . 'Making sure we got clean sheets and also whether it was early or late in the game , making sure we took chances - they were the keys , and obviously having a strong squad as well because there were a couple of times where there were changes in the line-up before games . Jermain Defoe rues a missed opportunity during defeat to West Ham in Sunderland 's previous game . 'Everyone has got to be mentally prepared to start the game , and obviously anything can happen then in the 90 minutes . 'Look , it 's one of those things , we have a chance of creating a fantastic record against a big rival , the main rival for us , so it 's a fantastic opportunity . 'But ultimately , it comes down to wanting it more on the day and hopefully , that will be the case . '
Newcastle face Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear deerby on Sunday . Captain John O'Shea has targeted a fifth successive win over rivals . Black Cats are in danger of falling into relegation zone over Easter .