JACK ROSS has admitted that star-man Aiden McGeady could be the exception when it comes to fielding the strongest team possible when Sunderland look to end the regular League One season with back-to-back wins.

The Black Cats head to Fleetwood Town tonight to face Joey Barton’s side knowing six points is the minimum requirement if they are to stand any chance of keeping their fading hopes of a top two place alive.

After successive draws with Peterborough United and Portsmouth, Sunderland are looking at a six-point gap to make up to second-placed Barnsley plus an inferior goal difference. Despite having a game in hand on the Tykes, Ross’ team must also hope that Pompey, above them, slip up too.

The more realistic prediction is that Sunderland will be facing a play-off battle in May and Ross knows how important 14-goal McGeady is to the cause, so he is prepared to wrap him in cotton wool if that is what is required. The Irish winger revealed last week he has been having injections to get him through games because of the crack in his foot he sustained at Accrington on April 3.

Ross and McGeady must now weigh up how much football he should play in the final two league games against Fleetwood and Southend United, fearing the injury could worsen ahead of a potential play-off tussle.  The Sunderland manager said: “There is always a risk-reward element as a manager with decisions and, at the moment, that is very much in my thinking. There’s no point in playing him if he’s not physically fit and mentally right in terms of how he can move.  “It might be that he has an enforced rest because if we are involved in the play-offs then he comes back feeling a bit better, he has more healing time.  “At a push he could keep going as we are, but there is only so much pain that it takes away. It’s how he feels in the aftermath of matches as well, there are a lot of things involved. I have a good relationship with Aiden, I know how sore he is before games.

“Aiden has shown it already, he wants to play. It would have been easy not to play again this season after the tackle at Accrington. It would have been the case if it was impossible, I would have made that decision for him, but he could. His movement is hampered a little but he can still affect things on the park.”

McGeady, whose last goal arrived at Accrington, is one of “two or three” players being assessed before the trip to Fleetwood after sustaining knocks against Portsmouth. There was disappointment among the playing staff after failing to beat Pompey on Saturday, leaving a play-off battle more likely than automatic promotion.

Ross said: “A lot of time the players have raw emotion post-match. A lot of the time when I speak my words after a game probably don’t sink in. When the adrenaline goes, then they start to reflect themselves, and I think they will know they have never buckled this season, they have kept trying to find ways to win games.

“Saturday was another day where they produced a performance fit enough for the occasion, it was just the end result that was missing. There is a comfort in that if we keep producing that calibre of performance then we will be OK.”

While Sunderland will have to come to terms with definitely missing out on a top two place if they fail to beat Barton’s Fleetwood, the former Newcastle midfielder cheekily suggested earlier this month “if I’d have had Sunderland’s budget I’d have them up by now”.

That led to Ross being questioned about Barton’s comments yesterday. Ross, diplomatically speaking, said: "We'll never know, will we, is the easiest answer to that. I don't pay too much attention to other people's opinions.

“I've had a big job to do here and I've enjoyed it immensely. I've always worked on the basis that if I can walk away from here each and every day knowing how hard I've work at the job then I'm quite content, and that's how I've been all season. I suppose it's quite easy to throw out comments, but we won't ever really know.”

Throughout the season Ross has had to deal with the claims Sunderland should finish in one of the automatic promotion places because of the size of the club, its fan base and the depth of the squad.

But Ross feels people should not forget about the huge changes that took place last summer, and he is satisfied with the work he has done even if he would ideally still have Sunderland in the top two.

“Shouldn’t be in League One? We have to get away from that,” said Ross.

“We are in and we were in at the start of the season. You have to accept that. In terms of how others view us, ultimately I work in an industry which is results driven. The opinion of whether you do a good job will vary weekly, twice weekly on the result sometimes. That’s the way it is. 

“My background, my pragmatic approach, means it is about doing the best I can. I was proud to manage this club when I walked in and if I left tomorrow morning I would be proud of the job I did. There are elements I can’t control, the main drive is to do the job the best I can. 

“The success element will be judged on whether we achieve promotion. I always encourage not to look back, we can’t affect what has gone on in the last couple of seasons. I have worked with the players on a daily basis, the culture, the staff here and how they are treated.

"They should take pride in that. They have come together as a group and they have tried their utmost to win the league this year."