SUNDERLAND skipper Dean Whitehead reckons a top-half finish beckons for the Black Cats in their second season back in the Premier League.
Manager Roy Keane has added experienced big-league players to his squad over the summer, and Whitehead sees no reason why the likes of El-Hadji Diouf and Steed Malbranque can't shine for Sunderland.
He wants Sunderland to improve on last season's 15th place finish.
"We want to make progression," he told Setanta Sports. "We want a top- half finish."
Whitehead was assessing the team's prospects for the 2008/9 campaign at the launch of the FA's Get On With The Game campaign, which aims to promote respect for match officials and sportmanship between rival teams.
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The full article contains 153 words and appears in Shields Gazette newspaper.