‘One more massive effort’ – a look at Cats’ play-off rivals
Sunderland are locked in the most competitive League One play-off race of the last decade as the sides involved prepare for a dramatic final day.
The Black Cats know a win at Morecambe would secure their place inside the top six, yet a late slip-up could abruptly end their revived promotion hopes.
Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers will also be hoping to secure a play-off place this weekend.
Here’s what the managers involved have been saying ahead of their final league fixtures…
4th Sheffield Wednesday – 82 points – GD: +25
Portsmouth (H)
Like Sunderland, Wednesday's fate is in their own hands, after Darren Moore’s side came from behind to win 3-2 at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday.
A win at home to Portsmouth would see the Owls finish fourth, ensuring they would play the second leg of their play-off tie at home.
Moore isn’t taking anything for granted, though, especially after Pompey prevented Wigan Athletic from winning automatic promotion with a 3-2 win at the DW Stadium on Tuesday.
“Going into the final game of the season at home, we know there is a lot of work to do,” said Moore following his side’s win over Fleetwood. “We are not patting ourselves on the back. We have worked extremely hard to get to this point in the season.
“We still have a massive test ahead of us on Saturday. Portsmouth have had a great result. They are a team that are capable and will come to enjoy the day. We have got to make sure we apply ourselves right and it will be another big test for us at Hillsborough.”
5th Sunderland – 81 points – GD: +25
Morecambe (A)
That late own goal from Rotherham United defender Michael Ihiekwe moved Sunderland a point ahead of both Plymouth and Wycombe with one game remaining.
The Black Cats have won seven of their last 11 matches, drawing the other four, and Neil is just pleased his side won’t have to rely on other results.
“I think that bit was the most important part because there’s nothing worse when you are going in thinking irrespective of what we do it’s out of our hands,” said the Sunderland boss.
“Let’s be honest, seeing the last six games, if you look at how the sequence of results have gone, it took a sort of an abnormal sequence of results for us to find ourselves in the position that we are in.
“We’ve been in really good form, we’ve picked up a lot of points and we are still having to go and win the next one, which is incredible.
“At the end of the day we’re up for the fight, we know what we’ve got to do and we’ll go again Saturday.”
6th Plymouth Argyle – 80 points – GD: +25
MK Dons (H)
Out of the four sides competing
for a play-off place, Plymouth face, on paper, the toughest opponent in MK Dons.
The Dons still have a chance of finishing inside the automatic promotion places, while Argyle had six players out injured for their 1-1 draw at Wigan last time out.
"There were people clinging on at the end because the lads are putting their bodies on the line. It was like the walking wounded," said Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher.
"We are on bare bones. There are a few carrying knocks and niggles and not moving freely, not at 100 per cent.
"I'm so proud of them because they keep putting themselves out there. Fortyfive games this season they have given us absolutely everything they have got. We need them to do it one more time.
"We haven't got a big squad, we knew that going into the season. This is what we have got.
"It has been a little bit of an advantage at times because you don't have too many hard decisions to make. When you get niggles at this stage of the season, when your big players are missing, then everybody else has just got to raise it.
"They are doing that, they are giving us everything they have got. We just need to recover, plan for MK Dons and put in one more big performance to get us into that playoff mix."
7th Wycombe Wanderers – 80 points – GD: +23
Burton Albion (A) Wycombe are the form team, along with Sunderland, heading into this weekend’s matches, having taken 14 points from their last six fixtures.
The Chairboys will need a result at Burton to stand a chance of making the playoffs, yet manager Gareth Ainsworth has played down expectations.
“The mood is really good,” he said
“Everyone is smiling, and
I am making it as normal of a week as I can, as we’ve done 45 normal weeks and have been brilliant.
“The boys have done fantastically well this season.
“They have done fantastically well for their efforts, now I’m asking for one more massive effort, and my medical and sports scientist team will have everyone physically ready for that.
“I just need a bit of framework going into it, but let the players be themselves and express themselves – the boys have been brilliant, and you wouldn’t know that there is a huge game at stake here.”
On the play-off picture, Ainsworth added: “We’re the form team in the table at the moment as there is no-one else with better form than us, so we’re going into this game full of confidence.
“I’ve always said to judge us after 46 games to see where we are at.
“If six teams are better than us with more than 83 points, then wow, what a season they had.”