Neil urged Cats to seize the moment
ALEX Neil told Sunderland’s players to seize their moment in the play-off final to become heroes – just as footballing greats such as Marco van Basten and Diego Maradona seized their moments on the biggest stage of all.
Neil revealed that his team talk going into the game against Wycombe centred on telling his players that this was their moment.
He said they could become the side that draws a line under the club’s history of failure in the playoffs, and gives fans a chance to celebrate in the stands at Wembley for the first time since their famous FA Cup triumph in 1973. And the players delivered, securing a 2-0 win over the Chairboys to secure promotion to the Championship and end the club’s fouryear stay in League One.
“The team talk was about moments,” said Neil.
“Moments in your life, moments in your career. Because you can have all the money in the world, you can play at high levels, you can do this or do that, but if you think about key players over the course of history – Van Basten, you think of his goal [in the Euro 88 final], Maradona, you think of his brilliant goal or maybe the one he flicks over [Peter] Shilton with his arm – it’s moments in time that are the most important thing, I think. “What I said to the lads before the game was ‘this is your moment in time – you can be a hero today and nobody can ever take that away from you.’ So for Sunderland fans, this group, that team, the individuals, will be remembered, and rightly so. I’m so, so pleased for them that that is the case.”
Elliot Embleton scored the opening goal in the 12th minute, with Ross Stewart scoring the second ten minutes from time, sparking mass celebrations among the 46,500 fans who had travelled from the North East.
Meanwhile, Aiden McGeady has admitted he has probably played his last game for Sunderland after watching from the bench at Wembley.
The 36-year-old winger has not
featured on the pitch for the Black Cats since coming on as a 74thminute substitute in the 1-1 draw against Shrewsbury on November 23, his last start seeing him sent off for the first time since 2015 during the 5-1 thrashing at Rotherham in October.
A knee ligament injury at the end of November meant McGeady was sidelined when Alex Neil came in as boss in February and, even though he has been named as a substitute three times under the Scottish boss during the closing weeks of the campaign, he has not managed to get out onto the pitch and is now out of contract at the Stadium of Light.
When asked if he would remain in Wearside next term, the Republic of International said: “I honestly don’t know. I still want to play.
“I’m going to carry on playing. I just don’t know where it will be.
“I doubt it will be here but I have enjoyed my time here. If it has come to end then so be it.
“I have enjoyed it here massively. Hence why I’ve stayed for so long.”
On missing out on a Wembley cameo on Saturday, having been part of the team that lost 2-1 in the corresponding fixture against Charlton three years ago, McGeady added: “I didn’t play but it was good to be a part of it.
“It is probably only me and Goochy who were here from the first play-off final. The manager has had a big impact.
“When he came in I think the team were seventh or eighth. Then you go into the play-offs.
“Two tough legs against Sheffield Wednesday and then Wycombe.”