Sunderland snatch Championship play-off final spot with last-gasp header

Independent

14-05-2025

Dan Ballard sent Sunderland into the Championship play-off final with a last-gasp extra-time header as Coventry City 's Wembley dream died on Wearside.
The central defender struck in the third minute of stoppage time after the clock had ticked past the 120-minute mark with the aggregate score tied at 2-2 to make it 1-1 on the night and book Regis Le Bris' side a final showdown with Sheffield United on Saturday 24 May.
Ephron Mason-Clark's 76th-minute volley dragged Frank Lampard 's men level in the tie as the Black Cats' stubborn resistance was finally broken, to the dismay of the locals among a bumper crowd of 46,530 at the Stadium of Light, but redemption arrived in the nick of time.
With the LED boards surrounding the pitch significantly closer than usual to the playing surface - perhaps no coincidence with Milan van Ewijk's long throw among the visitors' armoury - the game kicked off amid thunderous noise on a night when the hosts announced their decision to name the West Stand after 1973 FA Cup-winning goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery.
In a high-tempo opening, Mason-Clark warmed Anthony Patterson's hands with a well-struck 17th-minute effort, but it was opposite number Ben Wilson who had to be at his best to keep out Eliezer Mayenda's skidding attempt after he had turned Matt Grimes superbly and raced in on goal.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto dragged a shot wide from the edge of the area after Grimes' corner had been cleared on the half-hour and Jack Rudoni missed his kick in front of goal after the home defence had failed to deal fully with a Grimes free-kick.
Sakamoto skied over from Rudoni's ball back across goal and Rudoni was equally inaccurate from Mason-Clark's knock-down as an increasingly open half drew to a close with the tie as evenly-poised as it was ahead of kick-off.
The Sky Blues picked up where they had left off, Sakamoto seeing a 52nd-minute strike from a Grimes corner blocked before Van Ewijk blasted the rebound wide, and although Patrick Roberts scuffed a shot harmlessly off target seven minutes later, Coventry continued to look the more likely scorers.
Red and white nerves were jangling on and off the pitch, although they might have been settled had Wilson not got down at his near post to turn away Trai Hume's 67th-minute volley from Luke O'Nien's cross.
The Black Cats dropped ever deeper as Coventry continued to probe, and they were made to pay with 14 minutes remaining when Mason-Clark volleyed Van Ewijk's cross in off the foot of a post to level the aggregate scores.
Romaine Mundle saw his extra-time shot cleared off the line by fellow substitute Josh Eccles, but as Sunderland made their final push, Ballard crashed a header off the underside of the crossbar from Enzo Le Fee's last-ditch corner to snatch victory and keep alive his side's hopes of ending their eight-year Premier League exile.