Sunderland may not have demonstrated the requisite fighting spirit in recent weeks, but they know a man who has. This week, Tony Jeffries, the Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer and a diehard supporter of the club, was invited to spend time with Ricky Sbragia and his squad, speaking to them about pressure, preparation and courage. Today, they hope to give relegation a sharp blow to the solar plexus.

Jeffries will be among the 5,000 supporters — a remarkable figure — Sunderland are dispatching to the Reebok Stadium for a match that could have huge repercussions for their Barclays Premier League status.

Now a professional fighter — he won his second bout last weekend — Jeffries’s presence at the club’s training ground dredged inspiration from the players, although as Sbragia put it, “whether they have got the b******s to play is another thing”.

“Training is always good here, but it’s refreshing to hear another voice sometimes, get some fresh ideas about fitness and preparation, how other sportsmen train,” Phil Bardsley, the Sunderland defender, said. “And for the position we’re in as a club and what we need to get out of it, it was good listening to Jaffa \ talk about his desire, his will to win, because you need exactly the same to win football matches.

“Boxing is the ultimate individual battle. Tony was saying that the boxing ring is the loneliest place in the world, but there are times when a football pitch can be lonely, too. Jaffa is a hero in Sunderland. His achievements are celebrated and recognised and rightly so — he has presented the city in a really positive light. We want to do the same. We need that winning mentality, that hunger and drive to win and succeed.”

Sunderland are four points clear of the bottom three and victory over Bolton Wanderers would nudge them to the edge of the safety. “It was an absolute dream come true to spend a bit of time with my heroes and just talk to them about boxing and football and what it is like to be a professional sportsman,” Jeffries said. “They are in a fight to keep Sunderland up and I know they will win it.”