Ally McCoist jumps to Sunderland defence after Micky Gray celebration criticism

Ally McCoist has sprung to the defence of Sunderland and their supporters after ex-Black Cats defender Micky Gray criticised them for the extent to which they celebrated Tuesday evening’s late triumph over Coventry City.

Regis Le Bris’ men booked their place in the Championship play-off final courtesy of a last second Dan Ballard header - a goal which tied things up at 1-1 on the night, and ultimately handed his side a 3-2 aggregate victory.

In the immediate aftermath, the Stadium of Light erupted into scenes of wild jubilation, with some fans invading the pitch and players soaking up the atmosphere long after the final whistle. But despite his affiliation with the club, Gray was unimpressed by what he saw from Sunderland this week.

What did Micky Gray say about Sunderland’s celebration vs Coventry City?

Speaking as part of his commentary duties for talkSPORT at the Stadium of Light, Gray said: “Look, I don't want to finish this on a bad note, but I don't like to see the Sunderland players going and celebrating. I didn't like that at the end. You're not there yet, lads. You've got another game to go before you get to the final.

“Yeah, you celebrate because you're getting to Wembley. But I think that's it, you know. You stay as a group. But then all the supporters, which I didn't like to see either, they started to, like, pile onto the pitch as well. The tannoy came across four or five times to tell them to get back in their seats. You know, the pitch is for the players, basically. So it took a little bit of time to get the supporters back into the stands.

“Look, they're overjoyed. They're overwhelmed. Of course they are. They've over-celebrated a little bit. But then the players go across to the supporters at the end, and they're all celebrating, jumping around. There's a couple of them that got sunglasses on their face and everything. Look, you're not there yet.”

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What did Ally McCoist say in response to Micky Gray’s comments?

Reflecting on Gray’s comments after the fact, McCoist said: “Micky, calm down, son. Come on. It was the way it happened. He's right, but in normal circumstances, I don't think anybody would have behaved like that, right? Of course they wouldn't.

“I mean, if a goal had gone in in the, I don't know, 80th minute, for example, I don't think you see those... I genuinely don't think you see those scenes at the end. I genuinely don't. I just think the timing of the goal, the extra time - effectively, it was the last touch of the ball, and the whole place goes crazy. I get it. I don't have a problem with that at all.”

When asked if he believes Gray thinks that Sheffield United will be too strong for Sunderland in the final, the popular pundit replied: “Yeah, I think he probably does. I think a lot of people would, actually. I think, looking at it, they certainly look stronger. But it's 90 minutes at Wembley. Anything can happen. Anything can happen.”

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