Gav says...
For me, it’s Dan Neil.
That photo of him watching the team from the stands at Wembley back in 2014 has become iconic — not just because it’s a great picture of a young kid watching on in awe of his favourite team, but because that’s the boy who leads Sunderland out each and every week wearing the captain’s armband.
It feels like the plot of a movie — a kid who went on to achieve the dreams of every young Sunderland supporter, working his way through the academy to become the fulcrum of the side, captaining them to Wembley glory and leading us to the Premier League.
Other than scoring the winner against the Mags (or a hat trick, as Gary Rowell did all those years ago!) I can’t think of many bigger honours for a Sunderland supporter than to captain the winning side at Wembley.
The only Sunderland supporter to ever achieve this feat was, of course, the legendary Horatio Stratton Carter, a lad from Hendon who lifted the FA Cup wearing red and white all the way back in 1937.
If Neil and his teammates can achieve promotion back to the Premier League, they’ll all become legends and will write their names in the history books, crossing a line through one of the worst periods in the club’s history and taking us forward into more promising and prosperous times.
God, I bloody hope they do it.
AFC Sunderland v Coventry City - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final Second Leg Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Ewan Bowman says...
It’s difficult to pinpoint one but I’ll go with Regis Le Bris taking us up at the first attempt.
It took us an age to hire a head coach and I was particularly frustrated with the length of time it took, but the club went for Le Bris.
When he was appointed I had no idea who he was but immediately his impact was evident. There was a tactical plan, a structure and an identity in how we we wanted to play. We started the season on fire and up until the Leeds game, we were right in the mix for automatic promotion.
We were comfortably in the top four all season long which shows how good a job he he’s done. I was concerned by our end-of-season form but ultimately those games mattered very little and to finish fourth after 2023/2024 was a terrific achievement.
His tactics against Coventry were spot on: be compact, difficult to beat and counter attack the opposition which we did to perfection in the first leg. Also, the selection of Dan Ballard was a masterstroke by Le Bris; a proper away day performance.
The events that followed at the Stadium of Light four days later were incredible. The best time to score and the scenes of pandemonium. Once again, we didn’t see a lot of the ball but Coventry didn’t create much either.
Let’s hope for one more tactical masterclass on Saturday, but credit must also go to the lads on the pitch.
John Wilson says...
I think the most obvious ‘story’ would be that of Luke O’Nien.
Arriving from Wycombe in 2018, he was around some of the squad who’d been relegated from the Premier League and what must’ve been a depressing atmosphere as we dropped down again in consecutive seasons. After making an inauspicious start to his Sunderland career, he knuckled down to become a very valued utility player for us in League One.
An ex-Sunderland player was once asked why he thought O’Nien was still at the club and still thriving when so many others had failed or been let go. They responded with that exact point — that he’d become a very useful squad player.
He’s played in all positions across the back and in midfield. It was suggested that he wanted to play up front at one stage, and I’m sure he’d play in goal for us if he was asked! More recently, he’s thrived at Sunderland not because of his positional flexibility, but for his solid defensive performances.
Discussions about Dan Ballard, Chris Mepham and Aji Alese have been heard this season, but O’Nien is on the team sheet and his enthusiasm, drive, leadership and inspirational attitude stand him above most other players.
He’s an eloquent speaker, and obviously lives and breathes for the club.
When Coventry scored last Tuesday, it was O’Nien who got the team together in a huddle to calm nerves and instill more fight and drive. When players were asked to describe him in one word, the most used adjective was ‘energetic’, which says it all.
O’Nien playing for us in the Premier League would be the fitting pinnacle of his career. He’s our longest-serving first team player and his dedication and devotion to this club and community deserves to be rewarded with being able to appear in the top flight.
Haway me bonnie lads!
AFC Sunderland v Coventry City - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final Second Leg Photo by George Wood/Getty Images