Sunderland are currently 15 points clear at the top of the table and have a superior goal difference to second-placed Wolves, but the Black Country outfit have four games in hand so victory on Sunday would certainly keep them in the hunt.

Both sides are heading into the game on Wearside with tremendous recent records, the Black Cats having won each of their last eight league matches while Wolves have won ten of their last eleven.

As Sunderland have the points in the bag it will be a tall order for Wolves to overhaul them, but confidence is high in the Midlanders’ camp as they prepare themselves for what in effect will for them be a win or bust encounter.

They have been boosted by the recent return of Claire Hermon, who is the Staffordshire County FA’s Girls and Women’s Football Development Officer, following the defender’s two-year spell at Birmingham City.

And Hermon was in upbeat mood as she looked ahead to not only the meeting with Sunderland but also to what she reckons can be a successful run-in to the end of the season for Wolves.

Kerrie Manley“Sunderland are very strong side and there’s no doubt it will be a tough test for us,” she said. “But we’ve been in great form over the last few months and we are really up for this game.

“Our manager, Paul Taylor, watched Sunderland in one of their recent matches and saw enough to feel that although it’s going to be difficult for us, we can win the game and keep our momentum going.

“We’ve got to win it to keep ourselves in with a realistic chance of overtaking them, but if we can do that then we’ve got enough games left to get not only the points we need but also the goals to take our goal difference past theirs.”

Either side would be worthy champions, but whoever wins the promotion race will face a battle to stay in the top flight says Hermon following her stint with Birmingham in the elite division.

“There’s a massive gap between the top flight and the two regional divisions,” said the 25 year-old defender. “That’s been shown this year with the way that the two promoted clubs, Liverpool and Bristol City, have struggled to make an impact.

“At least one of them and maybe both will be relegated, which just proves the point. The main differences are fitness levels and the fact that most National Division clubs pay their players, so newly promoted clubs have got to try to compete in both areas.

“Any club going up will need strengthening in terms of playing staff and also the more professional approach that the top clubs are taking these days. Bringing in a few internationals would obviously help, but that’s difficult unless you’ve got the money.

“We’re lucky at Wolves that we’ve got someone like Emily Westwood, who’s just got into the England squad and could easily play in the top flight. If we get promoted then having a player like Woody in our squad might attract other players to the club.

“Woody’s been awesome of late and it’s been great to see her take her chance at senior international level. Everybody at the club is hoping that she’ll be in the England squad for the Women’s Euro 2005 – and if so, she’ll do the business.”

As part of her Staffordshire County FA duties, Hermon is heavily involved in promoting the Women’s Euro 2005 in addition to the work she and her colleagues undertake at the grass roots and club levels within their county.

“The interest in the Women’s Euro 2005 is massive,” said Hermon, “and that reflects the way that the women’s game has developed in Staffordshire – in the last three years, for instance, the number of girls and women’s teams has tripled.

“We’ve got around 150 clubs in the county now and all of them are taking an interest in the Euros. We’re distributing lots of promotional material and we’ve ordered loads of match tickets to give away as prizes at functions like girls’ football fun days.

“We’ll also be promoting the Euros through the county’s Partnership Youth Games, which is a sort of mini-Olympics that includes girls’ football, and we’ll be organising loads of coaches to take fans to matches.

“If the vibes we are getting at the Staffs FA are being replicated around the country then I think the tournament will be really successful – and on the back of it we’ll hopefully get even more interest and involvement in women’s football.”