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Sunderland

2024/25 EFL Championship, Play-Off Final: Tommy Watson’s last-minute goal sends Sunderland back to the PL over heavy favourites Sheffield United by 2-1

by Sports Benches May 25, 2025

Wow! We thought overwhelming favourites Sheffield United would be the one to win this Play-Off final who always got straight out of the 2nd tier many times before – even though they weren’t very good in the PL before going straight back down again but that was via Top 2 automatic spots.

Nothing can be granted where it has to be decided through 90-100 mins of sheer effort on the pitch and turns out the winner wasn’t the 3rd-placed Blades.

Instead, Sunderland would be one to take home both the Play-Off Final match and the last PL promotion ticket with thanks to 19-year-old left winger Tommy Watson, who scored that last-gasp winning goal past Michael Cooper in the 95th minute.

That was enough for Sunderland to hold off just seconds later when the ref blew the final whistle with the result being 2-1.

Scenes, what scenes?

Sunderland is now a PL side again for the first time in eight years that goes back to early 2017. Yes, Watson may no longer be at the club unfortunately going into next week when he will be joining Brighton having already agreed for an undisclosed transfer, regardless of Sunderland’s league status. But again, he’s just 19 years old and just getting started hoping he will go on to thrive at the highest level as well as playing for senior England someday – could be fast tracked ahead of next year’s World Cup under coach Thomas Tuchel.

Aside from Watson, Sunderland will be able to do whatever they want to establish themselves again like it was before, especially from a financial perspective with players like forward Eliezer Mayender who got away with the 2nd half equaliser.

Meanwhile, Blades as earlier will have to spend another year in the Championship.

They’ve come from a long way when they started off the 2024/25 season being two points down amid ownership issues. Now that may have been sorted mid-season at the end of last year while flying high within the Top 2. But it was a pity Sheffield United couldn’t stop not one but two promotion-chasing clubs by May with first being Leeds United and later Burnley.

That puts up a hotly-contested Play-Offs race thinking they will be going to be too good but not quite the case today – just unlucky from an early lead to a disallowed goal and later lost the plot at full-time.

All they have to do now is just continue being the best at this level and maybe Blades could get out of jail next time.

May 25, 2025 0 comment

A few quickfire sports items this week: Chiefs def. Crusaders once again, NSW Swifts continue to be unbeatable in Super Netball and Honda’s return to winning ways in MotoGP with Johann Zarco from Team LCR

by Sports Benches May 14, 2025

Here’s a few quickfire sports items this week: Thursday 15th May, 2025

1️⃣ Great to see the Chiefs def. Crusaders once again but if these two play in the Grand Final later on, sure it’s not over just yet. Can’t wait for Saders v Tahs tomorrow although no Joseph for a while due to jaw injury while wishing Mason Gordon the best of luck now he’s unable to play rugby.

2️⃣ Swifts still unbeatable as always but at least they’re leading the Super Netball ladder by a merry way – not so much from Giants who lost to SC Lightning.

3️⃣ It’s a Honda with that emphatic French Motorcycle GP win by Johann Zarco in the Satellite LCR Bike. Yes, Honda haven’t been at their best last 1-2 years but hoping they can be back challenging for titles again.

4️⃣ Sheffield United too good for Bristol City and Sunderland sees off late threat from Coventry – going to be a cracking Final where one will go to the big time PL.

May 14, 2025 0 comment

Football

2024-25 EFL Championship Play-Off 2nd leg semis: Sheffield United keep on scoring v Bristol City & Sunderland sees off Coventry following extra time

by Sports Benches May 14, 2025

It’s the overwhelmingly favourites v 2000-early 2010s PL side now on the road to Wembley for the richest game in English Football come at the early hours of Sunday 25th May, 2025 (AEST/AWST).

That’s when either one will be able to clinch that 3rd and final promotion ticket to the big time Premier League ahead of August whereas the losing team will have to spend another year in the 2nd tier.

Who could it be? Let’s find out now.

First of all, Sheffield United has been on song very easily across both legs including the 2nd leg v Bristol City.

It’s never an easy feeling from the Robins going into this stage with against a team whose always been in and then straight out of the PL over the last few years.

If Bristol handled their attacking chances right by not just hitting and missing on the buzzer, at least we could’ve seen them try to tear them up apart with a fighting chance. Instead, it led to nowhere where Blades swept those stakes all day.

Final score: Sheffield 3-0 Bristol City, 6-0 aggregate.

Meanwhile, other than that odd late GK mistake, Coventry seems to be the other better team that isn’t to do with the Play-Off Final. Although they had possession but just could’ve done any better with converting chances so Coventry can continue adding goals, especially when going into a must-win situation.

If they’ve gone up against Bristol City or even Sheffield United instead of Sunderland, maybe Coventry would be the one going to Wembley instead.

But you know, early favourites Sunderland seems to have made a huge escape that Coventry failed to do (such as safeguarding games in the same way they do defensively) like it was last time and yet again this time – right at the edge of extra time in the 122nd minute of play courtesy of centre-half Daniel Ballard.

A draw isn’t enough unfortunately and if we applied it with that away goals rule, Sunderland would be the one going into the next round which is the Play-Off Final.

Final score: Sunderland 1-1, Coventry City, 3-2 aggregate.

Don’t know what to say which one will be the last to go up, Blades or the Black Cats?

Feels like Leeds v Burnley again but in the circle of Play-Offs rather than for the 1st-place Championship trophy.

Again, Sheffield United is going to be too good to resist who always escape the 2nd tier many times before and no doubt they will do it again. Sorry Sunderland as they could give them a real shock but if not, they can always at least target Top 2.

May 14, 2025 0 comment

Football

2024-25 EFL Championship 1st leg semis: Bristol City’s hit and misses goes to favourites Sheffield United while Coventry’s late defensive mistakes gifts Sunderland the winning goal

by Sports Benches May 11, 2025

After a week of Championship-winning celebrations by Leeds and Burnley following their journey back into the PL land ahead of the next term this August, the race is still on when it comes to the Play-Offs with the final to decide later.

Bristol City could’ve done any better like that almost first goal attempt where it hit the upper woodwork by Joe Williams.

Then more silly mistakes gave Sheffield United the benefit of taking advantage with three clear goals including one penalty to lead the opening leg out of two.

Sure, Blades are overwhelmingly favourites who always get out of trouble from the 2nd tier, even though they go straight back following a couple of tough season in recent times at PL level.

If Bristol needs to stir up a surprise, they better cut those fouls and put those conversion efforts in the attacking third – especially inside the six-yard box.

Coventry City v Sunderland

Meanwhile, it was a little more tight over in the other first-leg semi the next day between Coventry and Sunderland.

Both teams chased hard to find a winner where Sunderland scored first before Coventry replied not long later. However, sloppy defending unfortunately from Coventry including the keeper itself – what was he doing getting out of his own danger zone? Both net and the box.

Didn’t take a few seconds to blink and say Sunderland won that first game by 2-1 courtesy of striker Eliezer Mayenda.

Honestly Coventry shouldn’t take that almighty risk that backfired in the worst possible way. But they’re a goal behind Sunderland though and they better not make any more silly mistakes again if they want to have another crack at the Final.

On Sunderland, they know what they’re doing by finding those right moments at the right time where Coventry hesitated as said defensively.

Now they have the perfect opportunity to cement their Play-Off Final on the home stage at the Stadium of Light where one more spot is up for grabs for the 3rd and final PL promotion ticket later this month.

The 2nd leg matches resume on Tuesday and Wednesday nice and early next week.

Meanwhile in PL land with a touch of European Football…

And yes, I hear there could be a change of PL TV rights here in Australia soon. No doubt this would make a huge difference if one takes away from Optus and I’m talking about Stan Sport via Nine.

Although as far as concerned, that arrangement will likely be a separate transaction.

For now, they got us covered which will be made available on free-to-air with the all-English Europa League Final on Thursday, May 22nd between Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United.

The ball is on Ange especially being an Aussie with his job currently on the line amid a poor PL season but so does Man Utd despite their change of coach in Ruben Amorim. Would love an Aussie win but sure passionate Man U fans want it badly too and if so, either of them could somehow play in the Champions League where the winners go there next season.

May 11, 2025 0 comment

Football Other Sports

2024-25 EFL Championship Round 46 Finale: Burnley win but so does Leeds following a late Manor Solomon strike that was enough to win them the top trophy

by Sports Benches May 3, 2025

Well, congrats to Leeds with the 2024-25 EFL Championship title following a long 46 rounds & 9 months over the course between August to May.

They can count themselves championship champs thanks to Manor Solomon’s 90th minute goal and there’s no way Plymouth were toothless all along other than the Sam Bryam own goal, especially when there’s little time remaining and that’s all Plymouth could do to Burnley in the end.

Final score: Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Leeds United

For Burnley, glad they ended the season with the win 3-1 at Turf Moor, even without Zian Flemming because they were up against Millwall and Millwall still owns him at least until the end of next month.

Their 2nd half run was much better likewise with Leeds than the first 45, having witnessed Josh Coburn hit the woodwork that turned out to be an unfortunate hit & miss just in front of goal.

What’s next?

While Leeds can celebrate and party hard all weekend long now, the end goal is all about being successful in the PL (at least mid-table) and maintaining it along the way.

Yes, it all depends how strategic both clubs can be with the budget they’ve been given to spend this northern summer.

But maybe it’s going to be a slight advantage for Parker over Farke on that one regardless if he will be staying at Burnley to try be successful in the PL or even replace Australia’s own Ange Postecoglou at his old playing club Tottenham Hotspur by the start of August.

Take note of that and speaking of Leeds, I see a fellow fan right there in Tristan McManus from Ireland.

He’s known to be a professional dancer in the past on USA’s Dancing with the Stars but calls Australia home nowadays where he’s been on TV for quite a few years.

Not only he has co-hosted the former Studio 10 in the AM but he’s also good at sideline reporting with the A League which is also his current calling too.

The Play-Offs including the moneybags Final

For now, we will turn our attention to the upcoming Play-Offs as four will become one to secure the third and final promotion ticket to the top flight. Especially when there’s the richest match around the corner with that Final over in Wembley.

As we know, early title contenders Sheffield United and Sunderland are in for a second chance. They will be joined by Frank Lampard’s Coventry City who won against Middlesbrough 2-0 and now 6th-placed Bristol City following a 2-2 draw with Preston when Blackburn were held stranded by the Blades 1-1 and Millwall from earlier have lost to Burnley by 3-1.

Play-Off winner

First of all, Coventry made huge strides from their difficult decision to get rid of Mark Robins to having another crack to hopefully get that last PL promotion berth as sure they will be up for the fight.

Sunderland meanwhile based on their huge effort and investment with their rebuilding efforts over the last recent years are not to be underestimated.

Plus, Bristol City may have a smaller chance but their playing style and the way they recruit players are similar to Brentford – so they won’t back down either.

And Sheffield United is no stranger to escaping the 2nd tier and go straight back up right away despite some issues with their current ownership, etc.

If one was to make the biggest stage then it would be Sheffield United v Sunderland but with Sheffield too good to resist a la Leeds but in a Play-Offs race storyline out of the other best four after Wembley.

May 3, 2025 0 comment

Other Sports Football

2024-25 EFL Championship Round 44 of 46: Leeds United and Burnley now back in the PL with the top prize still up for grabs

by Sports Benches April 22, 2025

Going to be a Super Bowl race to the finish line as if it’s the big final being decided today with Leeds & Burnley now back in the PL for the 2025-26 season.

Now time will tell with their own managers in Daniel Farke (Leeds) and Scott Parker (Burnley) later this year since they were unable to make any meaningful impact so far the top level of English Soccer.

But still, it’s a season that is a lot closer than ever before from four teams down to three by mid-season and then two lately and now only one will win it all for the Championship trophy by Saturday, May 3.

All of the final round’s matches will play at the same time of 9.30pm AEST, so better be prepared for that one unless one of the Top 2 loses the next crucial game.

For Burnley, glad they will be able to keep their star assets including James Trafford and Maxime Esteve + hopefully star player of the day Josh Brownhill following their 2-1 win over Sheffield United when Tom Cannon scored the equaliser midway in the first half- a rival that they could no longer see as a threat for now unless Blades win the Play-Offs.

All Burnley can hope now is for them to not just win the last two games but also see Leeds lose either to outside Play-Off contender Bristol City and/or even survival candidate Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth won too earlier this morning over Coventry 3-1 and looks like they’re not losing hope just yet, although not so much for Cardiff City even with another change of manager but too little, too late sadly.

Also, look out for Derby v Luton where Derby are just hanging on the slightest of margins in a race to beat the drop as well.

But at the end of the day, Leeds would have to be the one to beat considering they’ve been scoring goals quite a lot, including today’s match of their own following a whopping 6-0 win over Stoke City.

So up to Bristol and Plymouth to help Burnley out while Burnley would need to go all in even though they should not down their tools just yet v QPR and Millwall.

Because their previous games against these two sides weren’t the best unfortunately with one draw and loss but Scott Parker would love nothing more than a 100-point season and a Championship trophy that he hasn’t touched one before – at least as head coach other than as a player back in 2000 with Charlton Athletic.

It would mean the world to JJ Watt also so he can beat the 49ers in the disguise of Leeds as a Burnley investor but in the Championship, having had a decorated career as a defensive end in the NFL with the Houston Texans & Arizona Cardinals.

April 22, 2025 0 comment

Other Sports Football

2024-25 EFL Championship Match 27 of 46: Burnley sees off 0-0 draw thanks to James Trafford’s back-to-back shot-stopping saves v high-flying Sunderland AFC at Turf Moor

by Sports Benches January 17, 2025

Well, Burnley may have been gone into the weekend with some signs of relief despite their 0-0 draw v Sunderland, with thanks to super towering goalkeeper James Trafford, who saved not one but two late penalties against opposing striker Wilson Isidor, as hats off to the club’s strongest defensive efforts + Trafford hands down.

While Isidor was disappointed not to push Sunderland back closer towards the Top 2 when he tried to score a few times even during penalties, Burnley needs to keep Trafford at all costs for at least the next one-and-a-half years, as we do understand his ambitions to play for a Top 6-7 Premier League club like Newcastle United at some point. We know Sunderland has been like this season so far under new coach Regis Le Bris and even though they may have slipped away a bit outside the Top 2 automatic spots, they’re still flying high especially when they gave a good scare against the Burnley defense in attack.

What Burnley could’ve done better though is the way they attack on their own which can be frustrating at times. Like nothing against Zian Flemming (currently on-loan) who can give his fans some really good moments every time he knicks a goal, but it seems he would be better off behind the striker at No.10 rather than lead the line (No.9). At the end of the day though, Scott Parker continues to be happy with his striking options, especially wanting to do things differently as their head coach.

Maybe Burnley should think about that instead with only a week and a bit to go in the January transfer window, although they might as well another Championship-quality winger in Morgan Whittaker from Plymouth Argyle as their primary signing target. So a new striker may not be necessary when they aren’t a prolific scoring team – that’s okay. However, injecting more pace into the final third though would probably be a game changer – as long as the tactics are right.

For now, they are joint leaders with Daniel Farke’s Leeds United on 53 points; Although not for long with Leeds United most likely going to beat Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow morning & so would Sheffield United v Norwich City. That means, Burnley would be in 3rd but still there’s still a fair bit of work to do if they wish to dominate the Championship – they’re currently 3 points shy off top spot.

January 17, 2025 0 comment

Other Sports Football

2024-25 EFL Championship Round 18/46: Sheffield United start the weekend as table-topping leaders at Bramall Lane following their 1-0, 10-man contest win v Sunderland AFC

by Sports Benches November 29, 2024

Yes, Sheffield United may have started the season with two points down following their demotion from the Premier League to the Championship, having finished at the bottom end of the table once again last season, with Chris Wilder back onboard midway despite the battle for survival being too much to beat the bottom three.

Fast forward to today and it looks like they’ve made a lot of ground now in such short notice as Sheffield has just now topped the charts once again following their 1-0 win over Sunderland on what has been a 10-man contest between either side on home turf at Bramall Lane.

Yes, things were ugly earlier on right before half time-time when both of their own centre halves had to be sent off with a red card – like Chris Mepham in the 40th minute for Sunderland followed by the Socceroos’ player Harry Souttar not long later following his 2nd yellow card who is currently on loan there from Leicester City.

But the match though isn’t over yet for a quite a while before reaching full-time and in the end, Sheffield United had the final say thanks to Tom Davies’ one and only goal in the 83rd minute.

Depending on this weekend’s results, Leeds United may come back to push them down 2nd if they can beat Blackburn Rovers overnight. Sure, don’t count out Burnley just yet if they can beat Stoke City at the same time – they not have a consistent top-class No.9 at the minute but looks like they’re keeping a close eye though when it comes to the Top 2 spots.

But for Sunderland, their outstanding start has nosedived a in some way lately from 1st to now 4th. Sure, the new head coach Regis De Bris from France has made a massive difference; it’s a shame that injuries have taken their toll – they’re just five points off from where they once were back in Round 1 but only 2-3 points shy if they can get back & hold onto at least the automatic promotions back into the PL.

There’s still a lot to play for after 18 out of a long 46 round season but good to see the current Championship play being closely fought right now when it comes to the Top 2 automatic spots between Sheffield United v Leeds, with Burnley hoping to cut the ribbon between those two teams on what is going to be a busy festive month of December. Let’s see who will get the early presents ahead of January spending time to hunt and sell players in the hope of a May promotion wish back in the PL where they belong either way even via the $$$ Play-Off Final.

November 29, 2024 0 comment