A former Black Cats star has delivered his take on Sunderland’s Championship play-off semi-final with Coventry City.

Sunderland head into Friday night’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg with Coventry City looking to bring a long-awaited end to a dismal record against their hosts.

But Regis Le Bris and his players have been backed to succeed by a member of the last Black Cats side to experience what it is like to come out on top against the Sky Blues. After securing just a solitary point from their two league meetings with Frank Lampard’s men this season, Sunderland have extended an 18-year wait to claim a home or away win against their play-off opponents.

In their last ten meetings with the Sky Blues, Sunderland have secured five draws and have fallen to defeat on five occasions, with their latest loss coming in March as a Haji Wright hat-trick gave the hosts a comfortable 3-0 win at the CBS Arena. Not since February 2007 has a Black Cats side claimed a win against Coventry as a Roy Keane-led Sunderland secured a 2-0 home victory that played a part in what would ultimately become a Championship-winning season and promotion back into the Premier League.

The likes of Danny Collins, Nyron Nosworthy and Dean Whitehead all wore red and white that day as goals from Trinidad and Tobago internationals Carlos Edwards and Dwight Yorke helped Keane’s side to an invaluable three points in front of over 33,000 supporters at the Stadium of Light. It is the latter of that duo that has assessed the Black Cats chances of moving on from what has been an underwhelming run of form by ending their wait for a win against Coventry and move a step closer to landing a return to the Premier League.

Yorke admitted a run of five consecutive defeats was a concern for his former club - but stressed any form going into the play-offs ‘goes out the window’ and urged Le Bris and his players to ‘find a way’ to successful navigate the play-offs and end Sunderland’s eight-year absence from the Premier League.

He told PokerScout: “It's a funny one where Sunderland are concerned. I don't think anyone expected them to lose five games in a row. But if there is a positive, it's the fact that they got to the playoffs with room to spare. The thing about playoffs and the magnitude of those games, I think everything that came before goes out the window, you just have to get yourselves in there and then regroup.

“It’s all about how you step up to the stage and find a way to win three matches, you have to find a way. We’ve seen teams go up from all four positions, Sunderland may have lost five games but now they can get a fresh start and go for it.”

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