Sunderland pull off ‘sneaky’ move ahead of crucial Coventry clash: ‘Spies tell me’
Sunderland have been accused of pulling off a sly move ahead of Tuesday’s Championship semi-final clash with Coventry City.
The Black Cats have a 2-1 advantage after beating Frank Lampard’s men at the CBS Arena in the first leg on 9 May.
A draw will do for Sunderland on Tuesday as they look to book their spot in the Championship play-off final in front of an expectant Stadium of Light crowd.
Sheffield United will await either the Mackems or the Sky Blues at Wembley, after Chris Wilder’s men beat Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate over two legs.
Sunderland move advertising hoardings to counteract Coventry threat
Coventry’s Milan van Ewijk inadvertently surrendered possession to Eliezer Mayenda in the first leg, allowing the striker to secure a 2-1 win for Regis Le Bris’ side late on.
But the Sky Blues full-back also caught the eye with his long throw-ins, which Sunderland are determined to avoid in the second leg.
| Opponent | Result |
| Oxford (A) | 2-0 L |
| QPR (H) | 0-1 L |
| Coventry (A) | 1-2 W |
Speaking on talkSPORT [12 May], Adrian Durham revealed: “The little bit of news I’ve got from the Stadium of Light is this – my spies tell me that earlier today, Sunderland had the LED perimeter advertising boards at the Stadium of Light moved in towards the pitch by two metres.
“Now as we know, Dean Ashton, Coventry have got a long throw weapon. That’s a bit sneaky from Sunderland, isn’t it?”
Ashton replied: “Very [sneaky]. But why wouldn’t you try and use every single advantage that you absolutely could?”
Sunderland v Coventry remains in the balance
Sunderland successfully put themselves in the driving seat with a somewhat unlikely away win over Coventry in the first leg, after absorbing plenty of pressure.
The Mackems showed their quality on the counter-attack with both Wilson Isidor and Mayenda scoring breakaway goals.
But Lampard’s Sky Blues are full of character, which they demonstrated when Jack Rudoni equalised just two minutes after Isidor’s opener last time out.
Sunderland must simply avoid defeat on home soil to book their spot in this season’s Championship play-off final, where they will battle Sheffield United for a place in next season’s Premier League.
However, the playoffs are unpredictable by nature, and Coventry will be eager to display the kind of quality they showed when they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 on the final day of the regular season.
The Black Cats have enjoyed a generally stronger season than that of Lampard’s side, hence their fourth-place finish, but the Sky Blues are also capable of reaching Wembley.