Tonight, the Black Cats entertain Burnley knowing victory will put them on the brink of a return to the top flight despite last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Colchester.

However, Keane bristles at the suggestion that financial backing he has been given by chairman Niall Quinn to find and pay new recruits is behind the club’s success.

He said: “You could have £20m (€29m) to spend – it is spending it on the right players and the right quality.

“The priority for me when I got the job was to try to bring in the right characters, and with the challenges we have got ahead in the next one or two weeks, I would not swap my players for anybody.

“They have done brilliantly over the last few months. Yes, they were disappointed last week as you would expect, but it really will not come down to how much the players cost, but the type of characters they are and their desire to get over the finishing line.”

Sunderland lie second in the Coca-Cola Championship table, a point adrift of leaders Birmingham and one clear of Derby in third.

Victory over former Black Cats assistant boss Steve Cotterill’s side would pile the pressure on the Blues, who face Sheffield Wednesday at St Andrews the following day, and the Rams ahead of their Sunday date at Crystal Palace.

But despite the value of the prize at stake, Keane is maintaining his cool and placing his faith in his players.

He said: “I have great trust in the players. I know I cannot go and get involved in the game. I can make changes like we have done in the last few months – some of them have worked and one or two have not.

“But I have been quite relaxed. The biggest plus for me is the fact that over the last few months, we have gone on such a good run, we know it is in our hands. We are not depending on other people and I have great trust in the players that they will do the business on Friday.”

Meanwhile, Clarets boss Steve Cotterill is hoping Burnley can put up a performance at Sunderland to do former Black Cats Steven Caldwell and Andy Gray justice.

Cotterill, who had a spell as Sunderland assistant manager in 2002-2003, said: “(Caldwell) has been very good. He was good at Sunderland as well. I hope for him and I hope for Andy they can go back and get the luck.

“For them and me going back I want us to put up a good performance. If you put up a good performance you have a chance of winning the game.”

At the other end of the table, third-bottom Leeds host Ipswich hoping to benefit from any slip-up suffered by Hull at Cardiff – with the Tigers just a point above Dennis Wise’s side going into the weekend.

Second-bottom Southend must beat already-relegated Luton if they are to keep their slim chances of survival alive, while Barnsley host Leicester with both sides knowing a win will guarantee their status.

In the closely fought race for the play-off places Coventry host stuttering West Brom, Southampton travel to Norwich and Preston have a long to journey to Plymouth.

Other games which could affect the promotion picture are Stoke at Colchester and QPR’s trip to Wolves.