Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Sheffield United – Championship Play-off Final - Saturday 24th May 2025 - KO 15:00

We have definitely made that league more handsome, shame we couldn’t swap Burnley for Boro or Wednesday

 

would snap your hands off to finish in the 17th position we’re starting in!

 

Speaking of club legends.

Just seen a top video of Gooooch looking lovingly at Trai having a moment after game.

Things you love to see. Just noticed it’s on official club Insta. Goooooch is glowing.

 

Our ex-players have often been a bit distant with the club …

… there seems to have been a massive change in that.

 

Just seen another great one of Patto and Moore in amongst the fans in a boozer singing Sunderland takeover. They keep rolling in.

 

Only just watched this one. When Wise Men Say kicks in....ah man emotions

 

I’d heard that one person who was particularly pleased with the result was Enzo’s wife. She was apparently hugging someone saying “we’re staying, we’re staying!” A far cry from when Roy Keane said we couldn’t attract big players because their wives couldn’t go shopping!!

 

Love to hear this. My missus fancies Enzo and I don’t even mind that.

 

Bizarre that we managed to pull off that profile a signing in the championship.

Even more bizarre all the noise seems to be that he's desperate to stay.

Brilliant stuff. Hope he gets a chance to play in that natural deeper role that he has excelled in elsewhere.

 

He will. He was brought in for that. He was brought in with a PL vision no way he came first place other wise, and no way we covered his 60k week without a long term plan to use him to his maximum.

 

Such a good building block to start off with. Assume it was Mainly RLB given their history. Can't wait to see him at his best.

 

Oh without a doubt he signed for Regis first.

Speaks massive volumes for Regis that as well. Lad had absolute faith in Regis.

 

That brought a bit of moisture to my otherwise life-hardened eyes.

 

He did hand ball it though to give him the chance, would've been ruled out by var if it had gone in. Patto didn't know that so your right was an exceptional save

 

Another thing that isn’t being mentioned as much is the Ballard block when it looked like an open goal. Wasn’t as stand out as the semi finals but that was such a pivotal moment and incredible defending. Unreal in the playoffs big Dan Ballard.

 

Sheffield goal was quality as well, by the way.

Nothing any of our lads did wrong for that.

Small side note.

 

What a day.

Its the best place in football to win a game and to win a playoff final like that so late in the match has to be the best way to get promoted, the adrenaline hit was unbelievable.

We looked out of it for 70 mins, didn't compete up until the VAR call but then struggled to find our final ball. The changes were good and its a lovely move to equalise. I felt the nerves from the Sheff Utd end and with Hamer off the pitch they struggled to create anything. Jobe flashes one over the bar, Hume ends Brereton Diaz's life and the momentum was building.

You can't ask for better than a 95th minute winner from a homegrown academy lad who is a Sunderland fan, right in front of the Sunderland fans too. The scenes were ridiculous and utterly breathless to be a part of. Once the carnage had slowed I stood there with my hands on my head thinking 'God, we're a couple of minutes from the PL here!'.

The final whistle and the subsequent party, we floated back up the A1.

To see us win at Wembley again with my Dad was incredibly special.

'Til the end!

 

Was pissed off we conceded from a short corner but that was absolute pure class from hamer, the pass especially. Campbell ran the length of the field too and finished really well. They did their homework and caught us out there. Thankfully we adjusted, but as you say really good counter attacking goal.

 

Is that right? I hadn't seen that.