Sunderland are currently unbeaten in League One action so far this season.
Fleetwood picked up a credible point at the weekend at the Stadium of Light, as Barton’s side managed to hold Sunderland to a 1-1 draw.
And even though Barton has said some controversial things about the Black Cats in the build up to the game, the Fleetwood boss admitted that he expects Sunderland to be challenging at the top end of the table come the end of the season.
“In May you would expect Sunderland to be there or thereabouts, but football doesn’t reflect how many fans you have, it reflects what you do on the pitch,” Barton said. “We have probably about 85 years of work to get into Sunderland’s position.”
Sunderland were actually fairly fortunate to hang on to claim a point at the weekend, as Fleetwood missed a penalty which would have won them the three points.
Paddy Madden failed to convert from the spot, with Sunderland just about holding on to their unbeaten record.
Jack Ross’ side are currently in fourth place in the League One table, after a solid start to the campaign.
Sunderland are next in action at the weekend, when they take on Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.
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