Regis Le Bris has insisted he would not be worried if Sunderland went into the Sky Bet Championship play-offs without a win in six games.
The Black Cats secured a fourth-placed finish despite slipping to a third successive defeat when they went down 1-0 at home to Blackburn on Monday and have taken just one point from the last 12 on offer ahead of their final two fixtures of the regular season, at Oxford and at home to QPR.
However, asked if it would concern him if his side went into the first leg of their semi-final without another victory, Le Bris said: “Not really.
“I think Southampton last year lost four or five games – one of them 5-0, I think – and they were promoted, so every situation is unique and ours is unique as well, so we have to manage it properly.
“The question now is about the desire of the squad, the desire of the club, the desire of the fans and the connection we have together.
“This part of the project, I think, is the most important, so I hope we’ll have mainly a full squad, good energy and two games to play. We’ll see.”
The Saints actually lost three of their final four games of the league programme 12 months ago – one of them 5-0 at Leicester -before going on to beat Leeds at Wembley and Le Bris is taking heart from their experience as he welcomes back players he has rested in recent weeks with injured trio Dan Ballard, Dennis Cirkin and Romaine Mundle also making progress.
However, they were undone once again by Rovers as Tyrhys Dolan’s 33rd-minute strike ultimately settled a tight game.
By contrast, Blackburn have now won three on the trot but remain four points adrift of the top six and knowing their hopes of joining the Black Cats are faint ahead of Saturday’s final home match against Watford.
Head coach Valerien Ismael said: “We play for the three points on Saturday – that’s the only thing I’m looking at, just to stay focused on what we have to do.
“We have put ourselves now in a good position to finish the last game this season at home with a positivity, and we want to take the next step.”
Jim Goodwin paid tribute to his dogged Dundee United side following the 2-1 comeback win over Aberdeen which clinched fourth place and a European spot.The Terrors, who returned to the William Hill Premiership this season, had lost their four post-split matches going into the final fixture against the Dons, who were two points ahead and looking in fine fettle when Danish attacker Jeppe Okkels score...
Barry Ferguson was left infuriated by one of the worst decisions he has ever seen and called for the introduction of goal-line technology after Rangers were on the wrong end of a pivotal first-half call in their season-concluding 2-2 draw away to Hibernian.With Gers leading through an early Cyriel Dessers strike, Nico Raskin looked to have put them two ahead in the 15th minute but Hibs defender Ro...
AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson believes the toughness of his side has driven them to the League Two play-off final after they defeated Notts County 1-0 at Plough Lane.An early strike by Josh Neufville gave the Dons a 2-0 aggregate victory that was as deserved as it was hard-earned.The South London outfit have not let in a goal in the last three games, and further demonstrated why their defe...
Dundee United clinched a European place after leapfrogging Aberdeen into fourth place in the William Hill Premiership with a stunning 2-1 comeback win.Danish attacker Jeppe Okkels scored his first goal for the Dons since signing on loan from Preston in January after 15 minutes with the visitors controlling the game.United gradually came back into it and in the 56th minute defender Declan Gallagher...
Rangers were left to lament a contentious first-half moment as they ended a largely dispiriting William Hill Premiership campaign with a 2-2 draw away to Hibernian.Second-placed Gers went ahead early on through top scorer Cyriel Dessers and felt they should have doubled their lead in the 15th minute when Nico Raskin looked to have forced the ball over the line. However, play was waved on and Hibs ...
James Forrest gave Celtic fans the finale they craved as he equalised in stoppage time against St Mirren to extend his run of scoring for the club to 16 consecutive seasons.Forrest left it until the league season was 38 games old to get off the mark on a day when he was chosen to deliver the William Hill Premiership trophy to his team-mates ahead of Callum McGregor lifting it for the fourth year r...
AFC Wimbledon secured their place in the League Two play-off final as they defeated Notts County 2-0 on aggregate.An early strike by Josh Neufville gave the south London side a 1-0 second-leg victory at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.The Dons will face Walsall at Wembley on Monday, May 26 for a place in League One.With veteran striker David McGoldrick ruled out because of injury, and Alassana Jatt...
David Martindale believes the pressure is off his Livingston side after they booked their place in the Premiership play-off final with a comfortable victory over Partick Thistle.The Lions progressed 4-0 on aggregate, securing a second 2-0 win with Jamie Brandon’s opener added to by Stevie May’s stunning half-volley.They will now face either Dundee or Ross County over two legs, with the...
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca pointed to Marc Cucurella’s Barcelona connections after the defender headed the only goal against Manchester United to keep his side’s Champions League hopes in their own hands.The 26-year-old got on the end of Reece James’ cross in the 71st minute to power home his seventh goal of the season and rescue the Blues just as two vital points looked to ...
Walsall boss Mat Sadler said guiding the Saddlers to a play-off final is the proudest moment of his footballing career after they completed a 4-1 aggregate win over Chesterfield.Late goals from Charlie Lakin and Levi Amantchi – with an Armando Dobra consolation for the Spireites in between – earned Walsall a 2-1 victory on the night.And it provided a measure of redemption for a side wh...
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