Ross Stewart has no doubts that Sunderland as a club are too big to be in League One.
But while the Black Cats striker shares the ambition of the new owners, coaching staff and fans to win promotion this season, he insists they can't look too far ahead.
Lee Johnson's side have suffered a drop in form in recent weeks, losing to Charlton, Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday before their FA Cup exit at the hands of League Two Mansfield.
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It will be more than a month since the Black Cats last tasted victory when they take to the field to face Ipswich Town on November 20, with this weekend's scheduled game against Lincoln City postponed due to international call-ups.
The message is very much about the long-term, however, with the club backing the processes which set them off on a strong start to the campaign.
For all their recent issues, Sunderland remain just six points behind League One leaders Wigan, with a game in hand, and still two thirds of the season remaining,
Stewart has been in excellent personal form, hitting 10 goals this term after taking over from last season's top goalscorer Charlie Wyke.
The responsibility of being the Black Cats' main goal source does not seem to have fazed the 25-year-old, who remains quietly calm about the long-term ambitions of the club.
And that means not getting carried away by form - good or bad - at this stage.
“I have had a good start to the season but the positive for me is that I am now into double digits in terms of goals," he said.
"Personally, I am really happy with the way it is going. The team is also doing well.
“We are too big a club for League One and there is no doubt the goal is promotion but it is a long season and we can’t look too far ahead.
“We just need to take it game by game and then see where it takes us come the end of the season.”
In fact it was the challenge of performing under the spotlight on Wearside which attracted Stewart when he made the move from Ross County last January.
An existing injury curbed his impact last term, but he showed enough to persuade Lee Johnson he was the man to lead the line this season - and he hasn't let anyone down.
With fans back in the Stadium of Light, the pressure to perform is an intense as ever, but it's something Stewart relishes.
“That was one of the big appeals of coming to Sunderland,” he explained.
“I wanted to challenge myself and to see how I would cope with the pressure of playing at a massive club.
“There is pressure in every game to perform.
“I have coped with that because I keep putting pressure on myself to improve and to do as well as I can."
There's no doubt his goals have already won him a legion of fans among the Sunderland fanbase - and he has earned the nickname of the Lock Ness Drogba, drawing comparisons with Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
“When I heard the ‘Loch Ness Drogba’ I had a laugh," he told the Daily Record. "It is a belter.
“There has been a lot of talk in the dressing room about it and there has been a lot of banter flying about. It has stuck.
“In fairness, I have been called a lot worse so I have just taken it as a kind of compliment.
“Fair play to whoever came up with it.
“I was nicknamed ‘Crouchie’ at Ross County by a couple of the boys because of my height and it seemed to stick up until now.”
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