Sunderland coach Alessandro Barcherini pays tribute to supporters ahead of Sheffield United final

Sunderland first-team coach Alessandro Barcherini has paid tribute to the city and its supporters following the club’s dramatic play-off semi-final victory over Coventry City at the Stadium of Light.

In a heartfelt LinkedIn post, Barcherini described feeling “truly privileged” to be part of the club’s journey, highlighting the emotional weight of the evening and the backing from the Wearside faithful. “Truly privileged to do what I do for a living and to have witnessed a special moment last night at the Stadium of Light,” Barcherini wrote. “The whole city turned up to back us and help us get over the line. Thank you.”

More than 46,000 fans packed into the Stadium of Light as Regis Le Bris’ side secured their place at Wembley, setting up a Championship play-off final against Sheffield United this Saturday. But despite the celebrations, Barcherini made it clear that the team’s focus remains firmly on the task ahead. “We know the job isn’t finished. One game left this season. On to Wembley we go,” he added, signing off with: “‘TIL THE END.”

The Black Cats are now one win away from returning to the Premier League, eight years since their relegation under David Moyes.

What has Le Bris said about the play-off final against Sheffield United?

Régis Le Bris hailed Sunderland’s campaign as a tremendous success, regardless of the outcome at Wembley — but insists his squad are fully focused on finishing the season in the best way possible.

The head coach is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits in the Championship play-off final, with opponents Sheffield United amassing 92 points during the regular season, despite starting with a two-point deduction, and cruising past Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate in their semi-final.

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Following their dramatic and exhausting two-legged win over Coventry City, Sunderland’s players and staff were given Wednesday off to recover. Preparations for the Wembley showdown will begin in earnest when they return to the training ground on Thursday.

“Getting to the final shows that this season has been fantastic," Le Bris said. "It is very important to say that because you can win or lose at the end, but what we have lived together this season was absolutely brilliant. We cannot forget that. But at the same time, it is really important to think about Wembley now and the final game we have to play. We have one more game. It will be another tough challenge, but we will be really focused on that game now. We will switch our attention to Wembley towards the end of the week, and then we will have a full week to prepare for the game. That is the next step for us now."

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