Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has now given his thoughts on the Black Cats’ Championship promotion push, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.
Black Cats seal play-off final spot after Ballard heroics
After picking up a 2-1 victory away at Coventry City in the first leg, Sunderland were in a strong position to reach the play-off final, but as ever, they didn’t do things the easy way, with the game going to extra-time after Ephron Mason-Clark’s late goal for the visitors.
However, Regis Le Bris’ side managed to get the job done in dramatic fashion, with Daniel Ballard scoring a stoppage-time equaliser, booking his side a place at Wembley against Sheffield United on May 24th.
It has been a tumultuous eight years for the Mackems since being relegated from the Premier League in 2017, spending four years trying to get out of League One, but they now have a golden opportunity to bring top flight football back to the Stadium of Light.
That is despite losing five straight matches heading into the play-offs, which was a concern for former manager Poyet. In partnership with BetBrain, the 57 year-old told Football FanCast he was impressed by their ability to bounce back from such a horror run of form.
The Uruguayan said: “Now, I’m a little bit more calm. Before the (first) Coventry game I thought ‘what is going on?’. Tremendous season, and then finishing the season in the worst way. When you talk to a psychologist, they’ll say the worst way to head into a play-off is losing five games in a row, mentally. But, in football, nothing is right or wrong, they went on and beat a very good Coventry team.
Speaking about playing in front of what was a raucous Stadium of Light crowd, he said: “I wouldn’t say there’s pressure, pressure is when you’re fighting relegation, that’s pressure,” before adding: “Wembley is always difficult but it’s always an opportunity, so I’m really looking forward to seeing if they can make it this year.”
Nothing to fear for Sunderland at Wembley
There were some justified concerns heading into the play-offs, given that Le Bris’ side had lost their previous five games on the spin, but Ballard’s late goal should give them confidence ahead of the play-off final against Sheffield United.
Having finished on 90 points, the Blades will undoubtedly be the favourites heading into the match, but there is nothing to fear for the Black Cats, considering they defeated Chris Wilder’s side 1-0 in their most recent encounter.
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Le Bris took the time to praise the part the fans played on Tuesday night, saying: “The atmosphere was crazy. They helped a lot because we went through difficult moments, their energy was contagious. They were our twelfth man, really they were.”
With another trip to Wembley now pencilled in for May 24th, the fans will have an even more important role to play in just over a week’s time.
