Tim Sherwood makes Sunderland claim Newcastle United fans will hate

Sunderland stand on the brink of securing a Championship play-off place and moving a step closer to ending their eight-year absence from the Premier League.

A Trai Hume goal was enough to help the Black Cats see off Millwall at the Stadium of Light on Saturday and cap a weekend of positive news for Regis Le Bris and his side. That all got underway on Friday night when play-off rivals Coventry City fell to a defeat at title contenders Sheffield United and continued into Saturday as the likes of Blackburn Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Bristol City all failed to boost their top six ambitions after failing to collect maximum points from their fixtures.

Of course, the hard work is far from over for Sunderland - but they now hold a 15-point advantage on the sides sat just outside of the play-off places and there are now just seven games remaining in the regular season, meaning a top six spot could be officially confirmed over the next ten days as Le Bris’ side prepare to face West Brom, Norwich City and Swansea City. To his credit, the Black Cats head coach has remained cool, calm and focused as he looks to guide his side into the top flight to round off a memorable first season in charge.

What has Regis Le Bris said about Sunderland’s play-off push?

Speaking to the club website earlier this week, he said: “The first step today was important because it was more about the team’s behaviour, body language, and willingness to play together as a unit rather than playing impressive football. “Confidence is important, and when you are struggling, it becomes even more difficult. The final part of the season will be very exciting. The games will be very tight, and we now need to improve our level in every phase and every individual duel on the pitch. This will be our main goal for the next few weeks.”

“Everyone wants to see Sunderland back in the Premier League”

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has been impressed with what he has witnessed from what he described as a ‘carefree’ Sunderland side throughout the season. The former Premier League manager hailed the attacking style of play encouraged by Le Bris - and despite conceding Sunderland will be a threat, he warned the Black Cats they will face a very difficult challenge as they look to secure promotion via the play-off places.

He told OLBG: “The young players at Sunderland might feel the pressure but at other times they are carefree and just get on with the job with not many scars of what's happened previously. They're only young boys and they’ve got what looks like a decent manager and they're working very hard for him, playing some attacking football and have a great stadium with magnificent support.

“Everyone wants to see Sunderland back in the Premier League. It's been a long time now. But it's just unfortunate they got Leeds and Sheffield United ahead of them and Burnley with Scott Parker arriving there and doing what he's been doing with the clean sheets and the solidness of their play. It's been very difficult, but I think Sunderland will be a real threat in the play-offs. I really believe that. Having said that, they might come up against one of the three favourites which could be Burnley, which would be very interesting to see.”

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