Whitehead (right) has been impressive in midfield this season

Sunderland captain Dean Whitehead is determined to repay manager Roy Keane for standing by him after a disappointing 2007-08 season.

Ever-present in the side this season, the 26-year-old believes Keane's loyalty has been pivotal to his return to form at the heart of the midfield.

"When I wasn't playing great he kept me in," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It's a great boost to me, it gives me a lot of confidence and hopefully I can reward Roy with a consistent season."

Whitehead's return to form has coincided with some impressive team performances, with August's 2-1 win at Tottenham and Saturday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal particular highlights.

And the Abingdon-born midfielder is confident having faced some tough opposition thus far, they will be able to negotiate their next few games full of confidence.

"We looked at the fixtures at the start of the season and we knew it was going to be a tough start," he said.

"We've had Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa - all teams looking at the top six.

"But once we got through that with a reasonable amount of points we knew we'd have to kick on against teams like Fulham, Newcastle and Stoke.

"We'll be looking for maximum points from those games."

Whitehead joined Sunderland for �150,000 from home-town club Oxford in June 2004, and has since made 170 appearances for the club, scoring 14 goals.