Sunderland's win at Gillingham proved that international breaks will not knock the Black Cats out of their stride, according to Tom Flanagan.
Unlike in the top two divisions, international fixtures are not factored in to the League One calendar, with clubs only able to ask for a postponement if they have at least three players called up for either senior or U21 duty.
Sunderland meet that threshold and as a result their game at Sheffield Wednesday at the beginning of September, and their home game against Oxford United last weekend were both postponed.
READ MORE: Tom Flanagan on the dressing room reaction to Elliot Embleton's red card at Gillingham
And on each occasion Sunderland have won on their return to action, defeating Accrington Stanley last month and then Gillingham on Saturday.
As a senior Northern Ireland defender, Flanagan is one of Sunderland's international contingent and he says the club is managing the situation well.
"We'll get caught again [by international call-ups] because of the quality of players we have got," said the 29-year-old, who played in his country's World Cup qualifying defeat against Bulgaria in Sofia last week.
"I'm sure it'll happen again when the November internationals come round but we'll just keep proving points.
"It's good with the manager [Lee Johnson] being from the level above because he knows how to look after people and how to manage people when they are coming back because he has always had the international breaks.
"In that respect it really helps and the recovery side of it is huge. The club have been brilliant with it.
"We've been getting the train down and the train back up and it's just loads quicker.
"You can get back up, you can walk around. It is just better. The investment into that has been brilliant.
"It is good to be back with the boys and playing.
"When you go away for internationals people can be in different runs of form and stuff like that and it is difficult to get the team going and the cohesion but we have really got that here at the minute."
Flanagan scored Sunderland's winning goal as they came from behind to win at the Priestfield Stadium to keep their promotion challenge on course.
And the Black Cats' League One campaign continues tomorrow night when they travel to Gresty Road to face Crewe Alexandra.
