Success in play-offs is only way to prove club’s status – Neil
ALEX Neil is fed up of the debate over where Sunderland fit into the football hierarchy – insisting that only by succeeding in the play-offs will they shake off their League One status.
The Black Cats secured a 1-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday at the Stadium of Light last night, giving them a slender lead to take into the second leg of their play-off semifinal at Hillsborough on Monday.
Since dropping into League One in 2018, Sunderland fans have fiercely resisted the notion that their club – six-time league championshipwinners and two-time FA Cup winners – can be considered a third tier outfit.
And while the fans’ view is understandable given that Sunderland has only spent five years at that level in its 143-year history, head coach Neil says he is a realist and has to deal with the fact that the Black Cats are a League One team until such time as they achieve promotion. “The potential is exactly why I came here,” he said. “Potential means something that possibly could happen.
“At the moment, we are a League One team.
“We want to aspire to not be a League One team, we want to get out of the league but I’m so fed up of hearing people say ‘this is not a League One club.’
“I’m a realist in terms of you are where you are in the league – until you do otherwise, and we’re trying to do otherwise just now.”
Sunderland’s win against Wednesday was a step towards potentially ending the Black Cats’ stay in the third tier, but they still have work to do in the second leg if they are to book themselves a date in the Wembley final against either MK Dons or Wycombe.
Neil said: “All we’ve done [against Sheffield Wednesday] is give ourselves an advantage but we need to make that count.
“It’s certainly not going to be easy. We know how tough of a game it’s going to be but there’s a big prize at the end of it.
“You could see with the lads effort
last night how desperate they are to do well for this club and for themselves and each other. All we can do is go there and do our best and we will do our best.
“We’ll be organised, we’ll know exactly what we are trying to do and we’ll carry it out as best as we can.
“If we continue to do that then there’s no reason why we can’t go there and get a result.”
Neil took over in February with the club having slipped down the table on the back of a run of one win in seven since the turn of the year, but he has rebuilt confidence and belief within the squad and amongst supporters.
He said: “I think what happens is when you take over any team, you need a set of players to believe in you and you need to believe in them.
“I think the great thing from my perspective, and I’m sure the lads are the same is results build confidence in each other.
“They build really close relationships and I’ve done that at pretty much every club I’ve been at.
“This group have been absolutely brilliant since I came here. Their attitude, their application, even some of the lads that I’ve had to disappoint and leave out who have been really
good for us. I think they understand that it does weigh heavy on me when I do leave them out.
“It’s not an easy decision but we sit and have a chat about it and I’m honest with them.
“All the decisions I make are for the best of the team. That’s the most important thing.
“You need to be selfless as a player and as a group to make sure you achieve success.
“We’ve got that in the team which I think is great.”
Sunderland were backed by a crowd of more than 44,700 against Wednesday – a record crowd for a play-off semi-final – and they created a wall of noise to help their team.
“Brilliant.” said Neil of the atmosphere.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of big games and that is certainly right up there for me. There are moments in football, in fact moments in life, that don’t come along that often.
“How fortunate do I feel to be the one guy standing at the side of the pitch when that is going on around me?
“If you’ve got 45,000 other people there, cheering the lads on and desperate for them to do well, I feel privileged that is the case.”