Sunderland 'exactly where they wanted to be' as they eye Premier League return
Régis Le Bris says Sunderland deserve their place in the play-off final after their performances this season
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris says his side have the chance to realise an ambition they set out on his first meeting with the squad - a return to the Premier League.
The Black Cats are looking to end a period of eight years outside the top flight when they take on Sheffield United at Wembley.
Sunderland finished fourth in the Championship under the Frenchman's stewardship - his first season in English football. His side are potentially just 90 minutes away from returning to English football's top table.
He said: "We are exactly where we wanted to be at the start of the season.
"When we first met with the players in this room, I asked them, 'What is the purpose of this season?', and they told me, 'We want to get promoted'.
"Here we are, so we will have this opportunity at the end of the week and we have shown this season discipline, resilience, identity.
"We went through difficult moments and we didn't win comfortably this season – maybe once or twice – so we suffered and we are ready for another tough game. But at the same time, the desire, the ambition are really consistent because after 48 games, we deserve to be here."
Sunderland have reached the final with the youngest squad in the Championship, with an average age of 23.2 years. Teenagers Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham have been instrumental in their success.
Sunderland's teenage midfielder Chris Rigg tells Simon O'Rourke he is living his dream ahead of the Championship play-off final.
It has been a hard run for Sunderland since they tumbled out of the Premier League in 2017. The club suffered back-to-back relegations, spending four seasons in League One before clinching a return to the Championship.
In 2023, the club reached the play-offs on the final day of the season, but fell short of reaching Wembley when they were beaten by Luton Town.
This season, Sunderland booked their place at Wembley in dramatic fashion. Dan Ballard's last-gasp header, scored in the last second of extra time at the Stadium of Light, gave them a 3-2 win over Coventry.
The club's captain Dan Neil says the club must ensure that the good memories extend beyond that moment. 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.
"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."
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