CHARLIE WYKE admits he has not been getting much sleep in the last few weeks – but his disrupted night-time routine has had nothing to do with Sunderland’s slow start to the season.

The Black Cats striker has been swapping long-range shots for lullabies and cut-backs for cots after his partner gave birth to the pair’s first child.

It has been a hectic time for the 26-year-old, with his transition to fatherhood coinciding with his return to Sunderland’s starting line-up.

A goalscoring appearance from the substitutes’ bench at Accrington Stanley was followed by a match-winning strike at Rochdale, so while he might not know whether he is coming or going at the moment, he is doing it all with a smile on his face.

“I haven’t had much sleep,” admitted Wyke, who is set to retain his place in the starting side for this afternoon’s home game with AFC Wimbledon. “My missus had a c-section so it’s been hard for me, but to score two goals in that time and have a baby has made it a fantastic week.”

The Accrington win proved something of a turning point, enabling Sunderland’s players to draw a line under a stuttering start to the campaign that featured draws against Oxford and Ipswich.

Last weekend’s 2-1 win over Portsmouth lifted much of the pressure that had been beginning to mount, before Tuesday’s victory at Spotland lifted Sunderland to within two points of the top of the table.

Another win against AFC Wimbledon this afternoon would maintain the forward momentum, and while the Black Cats might not have hit their stride yet, they are showing some positive signs.

“I think you can see with the lads now, we’ve got a bit of confidence,” said Wyke. “Winning games helps. If you’d looked two or three weeks ago, you’d probably have said it was a bad start to the season.

“But you look now and it’s five unbeaten, so it’s a great start for us. Ipswich will be up there at the end of the season, so you look at that now and think, ‘Good result’.”

Wyke lines up against one of his former employers this afternoon, having spent four months on loan at AFC Wimbledon in the second half of the 2014-15 season.

He scored two goals in 17 appearances for the Dons, with the loan move from Middlesbrough coming at a difficult time in his career.

The Teessider was trying to get his senior career off the ground, but while spells at Kettering, Hartlepool and AFC Wimbledon proved his readiness for life in the lower leagues, he was unable to convince Boro boss Aitor Karanka that he was ready to make it at the Riverside.

He was moved on to Carlisle in January 2015, and has not looked back since, proving a success at both Brunton Park and Valley Parade, where he scored 22 goals in 56 appearances for Bradford.

“I was just a young lad when I was at Wimbledon, and it was a tough time for me when I was down there,” said Wyke. “I was only there for three months, but living away from home for that time stood me in good stead. I enjoyed my time there. It’s a good club, and I know a few of the coaches.”

That won’t matter this afternoon, with Wyke determined to extend his recent run of success in front of goal. His first season in Sunderland colours was something of a stop-start affair, with a succession of niggling injuries limiting his time in the first team.

He is desperate to prove his worth in the current campaign, and while Will Grigg and Marc McNulty will provide strong competition for places, is convinced he can continue to find the back of the net a regular basis.

“I just want to get back to what I used to be,” he said. “I don’t really like putting a number on it, but double figures before Christmas would be nice. I’ll keep plugging away and hopefully score a few more goals.”