On-loan Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham has been a key player since arriving at Sunderland in August

Analysis - Adam Lanigan, BBC Sport England

So another game ticks by for Sunderland, and the Black Cats remain top of the Championship.

Given that they have been in that position since 1 October, are they starting to feel comfortable up there?

On the face of it, successive goalless draws at QPR and Preston North End feel disappointing, but that is a sign of how well they have done since Regis Le Bris arrived in the summer.

Last night, they certainly deserved no more than a draw at Deepdale and needed to show lots of defensive resolve, some good goalkeeping from stand-in Simon Moore and a little bit of luck to keep Preston at bay.

But show me a successful side that does not have to do those things to keep picking up results.

As things stand, Sunderland have the joint-most points at home (16) and the joint-most on their travels (14) and are equal with Sheffield United for clean sheets (nine). Their record of 23 goals is also the joint-best in the Championship with mid-table Norwich City.

All those statistics line up the fact that the Wearsiders are not top of the the league by fluke or overly reliant on one thing or another.

This Championship does not look like it is going to throw up sides pushing 95, 100 points like Leicester City and Burnley in the last two seasons, so in a tighter, more equal division, the Black Cats are showing enough characteristics to remain right in the mix.