Tuesday 13th May 2025. The Stadium of Light, Sunderland. An emotional, rollercoaster of a night is nearing its conclusion. I glance at the clock. Four minutes of extra time to play. The agony of a penalty shootout looms. In reality, the tie should already be over. Haji Wright’s last gasp header in normal time should have sent Coventry City to Wembley. Sunderland though, have found a bit extra in their play. Now, everything hangs in the balance. Sunderland and the play offs are perennially intertwined, a relationship forged mainly in historic adversity, but one that’s now become an almost unbreakable allegiance, with mutual respect on both sides. This is our fifth play off campaign in the last seven seasons. We all know the agony and ecstasy these games can bring.
A break in play. I turn to my left. My 14 year old son Charlie, sits with his head in his hands. I ask him if he could predict the future and find out what happens next, would he? His answer? “Yes Dad, I would, because then it would all be over”. What more can you really add to that?
An awful lot has been written and consumed already about the dramatic climax to events on Tuesday night. Dan Ballard has written himself into Wearside folklore with that header, sparking scenes in a football ground that I have never witnessed or experienced before. Mayenda’s late winner in the first match has left my legs covered in bruises that certainly won’t heal in time for Wembley. I can think of Sheffield United in ‘98, derby goals at St James’ Park and winning in the League Cup Semi Final at Old Trafford in 2014; Chelsea and Everton at the back of the 15/16 season, these are the games like that leap to the forefront of my mind when I think about drama, joy and jubilation. I’ve been to hundreds of games, up and down the country, following Sunderland in three tiers of English football, and I have never seen, felt or heard anything like I did when Ballard’s header clipped the crossbar and crossed the line. The drama. The scenes. The noise. The unbridled joy. The sheer relief and jubilation when the full time whistle was blown. Those few minutes are unmatched and will probably always remain so. I doubt any of us will see anything like it again. Some of the videos doing the rounds on social media have been phenomenal to watch. Whatever happens in the play off final, or even in the years to come, it is a night that I will think about when I’m sitting in my rocking chair that’s for sure.
Dan Ballard will rightly take the plaudits and acclaim that comes with scoring such a dramatic late winner in a vital play off game, but overall in the two legs in general, I thought he was absolutely immense. 39 clearances, 4 blocks and a sensational header over two matches when it really, really mattered shows exactly what the big man is all about. He was and is, a colossus for Sunderland. Massive credit must go to Regis Le Bris for putting his trust in Ballard over Chris Mepham, who has also had a fine season. It has paid off spectacularly. I don’t care if Frank Lampard, most of Sky’s pundits and the entire city of Coventry think we were second best over the two games. The fact remains that we scored three goals in the tie, and Coventry scored two. We are off to Wembley to play Sheffield United and I don’t need to tell you, that is all that matters.
It’s been quite an eventful few days. The two games and the scramble for tickets and transport to the capital has added to the chaos hasn’t it? The red and white army will be out en masse in London once again. Hopefully at the time of writing we can increase our ticketing allocation so that more supporters can get to Wembley. The players will need every single one of us. The nerves are already building for me and I’m sure it's the same for many of you. It will be another incredible day, and we’ll all be put through the emotional mangle once again. Saying that, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Whatever happens, we will always have this special football club in our lives. All of the bad days we experience are absolutely worth it for the spectacular ones, and my word was Tuesday night spectacular.
As for the final itself, I won’t touch too much on it. There’ll be an article from me on that later in the week. What I will say is, if you don’t turn up or freeze in these games, no matter who you are up against, you will lose. This group of young players we have certainly have dipped at times, but they never hide or throw in the towel. They have grit, determination and a desire to succeed. They have a togetherness that is there for all to see. There is a connection with the fans. The players know what is at stake. They are determined to secure promotion for everyone connected to Sunderland. That is abundantly clear. When I set off for London in the early hours of Saturday, I’ll be with them every step of the way. Til the end.
