Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has challenged his team to go one more time after seeing them snatch a place in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final with a dramatic late goal.
Defender Dan Ballard’s header in the third-minute of stoppage time after extra-time clinched a 1-1 draw with Coventry on the night and a 3-2 aggregate win to send the Stadium of Light into raptures.
However, the Frenchman knows the Black Cats’ late heroics will count for little if they do not get past Sheffield United at Wembley on May 24 to seal a return to the Premier League after an absence of eight years.
Asked about his emotions on the final whistle, Le Bris said: “It shows that this season was fantastic. I think it’s really important to say that because you can lose, you can win in the end, but what we lived together this season was absolutely brilliant and we don’t have to forget that.
''I''VE NEVER SEEN SCENES LIKE IT'' 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/7kcZ7gTSIL
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 13, 2025
“After that, it’s really important to think about Wembley now because one more game, it will be another tough challenge and we are now really focused on that future.”
Ballard’s header, which ultimately settled a tie which was fought tooth and nail over two legs, came as Sunderland finally rallied after seeing their 2-1 first leg lead cancelled out by Ephron Mason-Clark with Coventry enjoying the better of much of what had gone before.
Le Bris knows they will have to steel themselves once again for the clash with Chris Wilder’s Blades with both sides having won their home game during the regular season.
He said: “They are a really good team, well-organised with different threats, good experience. They were in the Premier League last season, so another tough challenge.
“But I think to be promoted at the end, you have to break something and it will be tough, but we’ll have our ambition, we’ll have our desire to win and we’ll give all the quality we have in this group, the character, the ambition and so on.”
For opposite number Frank Lampard, who claimed with some justification that City had been the better side over the two legs, there was intense disappointment.
Lampard, who played down a confrontation as spectators invaded the pitch at the end of the game, said: “It’s a cruel way to lose a football match when there’s so much at stake. But they shouldn’t be too, too disappointed.
“In the football sense, they will be – I won’t take that away from them, they all feel that a bit – but they way they’ve played from where we’ve come from in this last five months…
“It’s one thing getting here and getting into the play-offs from where we were; it’s another thing to play these two games in the way we played them.”
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