Skipper Dan Neil does not want Dan Ballard’s winner which took Sunderland to Wembley to be the best memory of a season which could yet end with a return to the Premier League.
Ballard’s last-gasp extra-time header in the second leg of the Black Cats’ Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final showdown with Coventry sent the Stadium of Light into raptures and Regis Le Bris’ men to headquarters, where Sheffield United stand between them and a return to the top flight on Saturday.
For the home fans who witnessed it, that moment will live long in the memory, but as important as it was, for Neil it was merely a stepping stone to a bigger prize.
⏱️ 10.32pm
Exactly one week ago. A city erupted. pic.twitter.com/2Jp92Qa1wm
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 20, 2025
He said: “It feels a bit surreal we’ve been involved in one of those moments that will be talked about for a long time. It’s an unbelievable moment, but one thing we’ve all said is we’ve got to get the job done.
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“We don’t want to just be remembered for Dan Ballard’s header, we want to be remembered for going all the way, getting back to the Premier League.”
If Sunderland as a club have unfinished business this season, so too does Neil as an individual.
The 23-year-old midfielder was one of a series of Academy graduates to be given his chance as the Black Cats rebuilt following a slide which had taken them from the Premier League to League One, where they spent four seasons.
However, he did not make it on to the pitch from the bench the day they beat Wycombe in the play-off final in May 2022 to climb back into the Championship and he was denied a chance to right that wrong two seasons ago when Luton ended their hopes in the semi-finals.
Now Neil is hoping to exorcise all those ghosts by helping to end the Wearsiders’ eight-year exile from England’s top division.
Dan Neil was an unused substitute when Sunderland beat Wycombe at Wembley in May 2022
Dan Neil was an unused substitute when Sunderland beat Wycombe at Wembley in May 2022(Tim Goode/PA)
He said: “I was obviously delighted when we won promotion out of League One and to have been part of the squad and played a part over the year.
“I lost my place in the team towards the end of the season and not getting on the pitch at Wembley has been a bit at the back of my mind.
“Two years ago when we played Luton, I was in the team, chance to get to Wembley… that’s another reason I was so buzzing when we got past Coventry.”