Former Sunderland midfielder Kevin Kilbane has heaped praise on ‘incredible’ Alex Neil and set the club lofty targets of Championship play-off football next season following their play-off final glory. Goals from Elliott Embleton and Ross Stewart earned the Black Cats a 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers and sparked wild celebrations inside Wembley.
It was Neil who decided to start 23-year-old Embleton in place of Jack Clarke, with the move paying instant dividends when the local lad burst through Wanderers’ midfield and fired a shot through David Stockdale. Ross Stewart drilled home the second with just over 10 minutes to go to secure Sunderland’s place in next season’s Championship.
The victory ends a four-year stay in England’s third-tier and also banishes the playoff hoodoo in which Sunderland had lost their last six attempts. And Kilbane described the Wembley win as ‘very special’ for Sunderland supporters.
