The Black Cats eased themselves further clear of the drop zone as a result of yesterday's 1-1 derby draw at Middlesbrough.

However, but for a late fightback at the Riverside Stadium, Ricky Sbragia's men could have ended the weekend looking anxiously over their shoulders with the margins between success and failure growing narrower by the week.

Sunderland entertain in-form Aston Villa next Saturday knowing defeat by a side looking to establish themselves as Champions League contenders could leave them in an extremely uncomfortable position with Fulham due on Wearside after the FA Cup fourth-round clash with Blackburn.

Whitehead said: "There are plenty of teams, probably the whole of the bottom half and maybe a couple in the top half.

"It's very tight. A couple of wins and you could be out of it, but a couple of bad results and you could be struggling.

"It's a very tight league and we were delighted to get a point on Saturday.

"With the league being so tight, three points is vital, especially against the teams around us.

"But it was vital we went to Middlesbrough and didn't lose - and we were quite unlucky not to win it in the end."

Sunderland were indeed unlucky not to emerge with all three points in the end with Adam Johnson clearing substitute Carlos Edwards' 87th-minute header off the line and television replays suggesting he might have got there too late.

However, on the evidence of the first 80 minutes, they were fortunate to leave Teesside with anything to show for their efforts.

The Black Cats never troubled a Boro side still coming to terms with the trauma of Stewart Downing's rejected transfer request, with strikers Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse becalmed by a determined Boro rearguard.

Gareth Southgate's men were little better, although they created the better of what few chances there were before the break.

But when the opening goal finally arrived in the final minute of the half, its quality was in stark contrast to much of what had gone before.

Danny Collins' throw-in was retrieved by the home side and a deft flick from Afonso Alves set Downing on his way and when the ball was returned to the Brazilian, his assured finish gave keeper Marton Fulop no chance and him a sixth goal of the season.

Whitehead said: "It was a bad goal for us. We were on the halfway line with the ball in our hand with 30 seconds to go, and we went in 1-0 down.

"The gaffer had a little pop at us for that, and we responded really well."

Boro's momentum was fatally punctured by the loss of central midfielders Josh Walker and, after an horrendous clash of heads with Kieran Richardson, Didier Digard, although it took the visitors until the final 10 minutes of the game to make an impression.

Sbragia had a hand in the equaliser in that it was substitutes Andy Reid and David Healy who carved out the chance, the Republic of Ireland international picking out the forgotten man's 82nd-minute run down the right to allow him to cross perfectly for Jones to level.

Johnson's late heroics saved Boro further pain, and it took a fine challenge from Tony McMahon to deny Cisse at the death, although defeat would have been harsh on Boro.

Whitehead said: "We were away from home in a local derby and as long as we didn't lose, it was a positive result for us.

"At half-time, we might have settled for it, but after getting the goal and having a few half-chances cleared off the line, we were a little bit disappointed.

"The dressing room was really down at the end having pushed them to the wire, but overall, we were happy with a point."

Steed Malbranque picked up his fifth booking of the season and will now serve a one-match ban, and Whitehead, Teemu Tainio and Phil Bardsley are all currently on four and facing their own disciplinary trouble.