Daniel Ballard described his overtime title as a “dream achievement” after he reached the championship playoff final.
Sunderland led 2-1 from the first leg, but Coventry dominated the return of Lights Stadium, with Ephron Mason-Clark lowering the tie’s victory 14 minutes after normal time.
Haji Wright wasted a gilding opportunity to complete the turnaround at the end of the second half of the downtime, which eventually proved to be expensive as Sunderland’s overtime toughness paid dividends at death, which seemed inevitable.
Ballard was outstanding at Sunderland, writing himself into the club’s folklore in the 122nd minute, bent down to meet the corner of Enzo Le Fee, and drove off at the bar to win 3-2.
Sunderland will face Sheffield United in the Premier League on May 24, spending a place outside of top flights for eight consecutive seasons.
“This is the real dream of dreaming. Today’s fans are absolutely incredible.”
“It just felt like it wouldn’t be our day, and all the lads were eager to give them something to celebrate.
“It’s a dramatic ending and a composition of dreams.
“I was so nervous to get into the first game. [manager Regis Le Bris] Chris Mepham left who was the best player of our entire season.
“So, it’s a big call and I’m happy with him, but I’m glad that Gaffer has trusted me and hope I’ve paid it back.”
Save date.
– Sunderland AFC (@sunderlandafc) May 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Coventry’s boss Frank Lampard was left with a season that he felt was inappropriate for the season around him.
“First, congratulations to Sunderland, they entered my last great pride for the players,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“If someone has seen two games and we dominate the house, we make a mistake and they score. I think we have a huge dominance in this huge period of the game. We play, control, and the second half is a wave and a wave.
“The players gave everything from where we came from – the league ranked 17th in the league in December, and the players performed well in the second half.
“They had to admit to us because of the way we played and the way the lads controlled the game they didn’t deserve. I’m old and I’ve been in a lot of places so I’ve whipped and I’ve already succeeded, so maybe I can be more balanced in my job, but for those players, they’re not worth it.
“We are not in pain and don’t congratulations to Sunderland, but we are the better team in two football games, which is why they’re so happy to go to Wembley.”
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