Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Coventry City – Play-off Semi Final 2nd leg Tuesday 13th May 2025 - KO 20:00

Some of this is only just dawning on me.

We have a very young squad and when we needed a boost, on Tuesday, we brought on a 17 year old

The Coventry supporters thought their atmosphere would frighten our young lads, it didn't.

They thought we'd fold when Rudoni equalised, we didn't.

They thought our crowd would get on the players backs if they scored at the SOL, we didn't.

They thought Lampard would change his Plan A from the first leg ... he didn't.

They thought it was going to penalties ...

 

Speaking of the celebrations, I think on my 7,532nd viewing of the scenes I've just about seen what each player did (one of the best things about it was how each of them just went mad in their own way and own world, pure, uncontrolled, uninhibited elation - pandemonium). Feel free to fill in the gaps:

Patto - a little bit of a mystery, possibly the coolest man in the stadium. Struck a pose in his own half and took it all in?

Hume - Initially off with Ballard then just straight into the South Stand. Emerged tapping the badge

Ballard - Got his head stuck in his shirt.....

O'Nien - Round the back of the goal with a knee slide ready to greet Ballard as he circled back round

Cirkin - Sprinted from the halfway line (as he'd been subbed), slid in to the now prostrate Ballard, Hjelde and O'Nien on the floor where he stayed for less than a milli-second before leaping up, skipping over them and launching himself into the crowd with Dan Neil.

Le Fee - Went to run to Ballard, realised he had his head stuck in his shirt and thus couldn't see him so headed to the East stand, jumped up like a man possessed then looked a little lost coming back in to the centre of the pitch.

Rigg - possibly my favourite - initially followed Ballard but then just carried on in a straight line when Ballard veered off - karate kicked the corner flag and just continued, without slowing down straight into the South East corner where he was completely swallowed up

Neil - initially headed towards Ballard and O'Nien on the floor but then just thinks '**** it' and continues straight into the crowd

Hjelde - kept up with Ballard every step of the way...even when Ballard dropped the (good) shoulder.

Mayenda - kept pace with Hjelde and Ballard right to just about the very end then randomly changed direction and sprinted hard towards the dug-outs and families

Isidor - sprinted the other way, from the dug out straight to the now pile of bodies amassed on top of Ballard on the floor then up and into the crowd with Jobe

Mundle - with Ballard, then did his own thing in front of the East stand before quickly sliding in with Ballard, Hjelde and O'Nien and nearly laying the nut on the on coming Cirkin.

Jobe - See Hume. Then emerged with tears in his eyes before letting it all out on a beach ball

Saw none of this at the time as I was upside down in the North stand!

 

This is great. What an absolutely terrific account of events. This should be buried in a time capsule or something for future generations to read.

Could you do a one of these for what happened at full time? They all seemed to run from their own half and jumped back into the opposite stand about 50 yards away to start all over again. I've never seen anything like it in my life.

 

Does anyone know the time between the goal going in and when the game restarted.
There was a he'll of a lot going on everywhere.

 

And the ref only spotted one yellow card offence too. Nice man.

 

It doesn’t nearly do it justice mind.

This is probably my favourite video showing most of it. https://x.com/SunderlandAFC/status/1922728621866709279?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1922728621866709279|twgr^a4639d6af127118fd5bfcc82b58b55fddbb8bee9|twcon^s1_&ref_url=https://s9e.github.io/iframe/twitter.min.html1922728621866709279
Love the angle of Rigg doing his thing, Enzo and then the moments that O’Nien and Mayenda (going the wrong way) come into shot and Neil continuing into the crowd. Ballard’s a distraction on this video, it’s the carnage that’s going on around him that’s worth the watch.

I think you’ve pretty much successfully summarised full time, basically all (including the rest of the subs) after Ballard straight into the South stand.

 

Just for Patto I saw on a Coventry vlog started running round in circles like a looney shouting and jumping around

go to 12:18

 

He gave 3 tbf, cirkin neil and Ballard all got one

my favourite is Mayenda sprinted to the south east corner dropped to his knees and started fist bumping everywhere until the fans invaded and he started strutting about with Sunnies on

 

Where did he get the sunglasses from? Are they his or did a fan give him them?

 

Boils my piss this debate,started by Micky piss.head Gray, resides over in Manchester now, always spouting on about Man U his bairns support Man U, but guess what SAFC are in the headlines so he makes a appearance, doesn’t he know what this club has been through in last decade, doesn’t he know what it’s like to celebrate a last second goal to take us to Wembley against a team certain group of fans despise, and to think he gets referred to as a SAFC legend, well I’ll tell you Micky, no we didn’t over celebrate,and we honoured a TRUE legend before the game,so get back in your box and p*** off back to Manchester because if you don’t get it you’re not one of us

 

Absolutely no idea but it’s produced some toppa photos

 

The one with Samed, Mayenda and ELF is now my lockscreen

 

Ffs the last thing we need is Cirkin to miss another 2 months with concussion lol

 

Listen, we didn't over celebrate, but my God I want this goal to count for something by following it up at Wembley.

 

I love them all man. PR joining in with the du du du

 

What a brilliant thread, I thought it was just me who watched all that stuff!!!

 

He still missed Mundle sticking his tongue in Dan’s tab when they were on ground

 

The more i see the goal the more i appreciate just how good it was. Ballard leaps, as the ball nears him he realizes he is too high. even though his feet are still off the ground he contorts his torso downward so his head will meet the ball. Then the mayhem begins.

 

One of the best posts I have ever seen on here.

 

Got the videos on a constant loop like, love Mayenda, that’s what football is about.
Am seeing loads of cov fans on twitter saying thr atmosphere was terrible, did it come across bad on thr tele, felt electric in the ground.