With Paolo Di Canio likely to have recovered from his hamstring problem by then, and Fredi Kanoute having an outside chance of returning as well, Jermain knows he could be a substitute again against Aston Villa.
Glenn Roeder has always said this season would be too early for him to make regular starts but he has been forced to hand him a 90 minute role in the last two games.
"I'll just get on with it and do what I have to do," Jermain says, "we need to win that one badly.
"I'm still young and learning the game so I am enjoying the starts but obviously it would have been better if we had won.
"Me, Michael and Joe are still learning the game so it is good for us to be involved."
As for the defeat at Sunderland, he says: "It was just one of those games; we had quite a few chances especially at the start of the second half and could have scored about three in 10 minutes - but it wasn't meant to be again.
"I can't believe that we lost because we deserved to win, to be honest.
"We played so well and everyone worked so hard, but we gave away a sloppy goal."
He acknowledges he had a good chance to score in the first half - such was the frustration on the bench when it flashed wide that the dug-out shuddered after a fist shook it - and he says: "The first one I tried to put across the keeper but I tucked it a little bit too wide - it was just one of those things."