Trophy is the treat Cats need
FORMER Sunderland manager Malcolm Crosby is praying the Black Cats’ Papa John’s Trophy Final triumph proves to be a springboard to promotion.
The Wearsiders beat
League Two Tranmere 1-0 two weeks ago as Lee Johnson became the first Sunderland boss to win at Wembley since Bob Stokoe, whose side famously humbled Leeds in the 1973 FA Cup Final.
But winning back the Championship status they lost in 2018 is the priority for the new regime at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland are three points off top spot in third after winning 1-0 at Bristol Rovers yesterday.
Swiss-french billionaire heir Kyril Louis-dreyfus, 23, is their fresh-faced chairman and majority shareholder, while Johnson’s December arrival – as Phil Parkinson’s replacement – followed soon after Kristjaan Speakman’s appointment as sporting director.
And Crosby
(left), in charge when Sunderland lost to Liverpool in the 1992 FA Cup Final and a lifelong fan, insists shrewd recruitment will be crucial to future success.
He said: “It was a great result for Sunderland and Lee Johnson has done a good job. Winning at Wembley will give them extra momentum to hopefully win promotion.
“I hope Lee has the same joy as his dad, Gary, who has won promotion a good few times and is going for another at Torquay in the National League.
“Sunderland are near the top of League One and it would be great if they could get promoted without being in the play-offs again, like they were in years gone by, losing the final to Charlton.’’
Crosby, who was on Birmingham’s backroom team at the same time as Speakman, added: “If Sunderland get back into the Championship, the recruitment has to be right and that’s been a bit of struggle in recent years.
“I was with Kristjaan at Birmingham. He knows what he’s doing, so it’s good that he’s at Sunderland.”