‘Never turn nose up at silverware’
JACK Ross insists taking Sunderland to a Wembley final would be a ‘massive deal’ – and he still believes the Black Cats can achieve a league and cup double, writes JAMES HUNTER.
The Black Cats take on Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium in the semi-final of the Checkatrade Trophy tonight, Portsmouth awaiting the winners in the final at the end of the month.
While the competition is derided by some, Ross says it offers the chance to lift silverware and says that is something which should never be sniffed at.
Ross led St Mirren to the Scottish Championship title last season and also took the Buddies to the Scottish Challenge Cup final in 2017 - but he prefers to look ahead rather than back.
He admitted: “I never properly enjoyed winning the league last year. With St Mirren I got to the final of a similar competition to this one in 2017 but I think it might not be until years to come I look back and think ‘that was good’.
“I am not going to pretend the chance of taking Sunderland to Wembley is not a big deal – it would be a massive deal.
“I was made aware very quickly of how much it would mean to get to Wembley.
“Even though opinion is probably still polarised over how this tournament is viewed, from the beginning we looked at it as a chance to win somethingand you should never turn your nose up at that.
“Yes, it does not rank alongside the FA Cup or the League Cup but it is still a cup and people have taken it seriously over the years and have enjoyed winning it.
“Playing in a Wembley final is a reminder of why we play the game.
“Why we want to be involved in it, the enjoyment of winning things – I think that can be lost sometimes.”
Sunderland’s cup campaign has run alongside their League One promotion challenge and they could yet overhaul top two Luton Town and Barnsley in the final 12 games of the season, meaning a league and cup double is still possible.
Ross added: “Promotion has always been the ultimate goal for us.
“Winning League One is still the target and it is still achievable.
“If we can do both it would be fantastic and the players would deserve a lot of credit for that.”