Sunderland have been practicing penalty-kicks ahead of tonight's Championship play-off semi-final second leg at Luton Town - just in case. And Tony Mowbray has already warned his players that he has no truck with stuttering run-ups and tippy-tappy spot-kicks!
The Black Cats hold a 2-1 lead in the tie after coming from behind to beat the Hatters at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, but they must complete the job at Kenilworth Road tonight to seal a place in the final at Wembley against either Middlesbrough or Coventry City. If Luton were to win by a single goal tonight to level the scores on aggregate, the game would go to extra-time.
The away goals rule is not used in the play-offs, meaning that if there was still nothing between the sides after the additional half-hour the contest would be decided by a penalty shootout. Some managers believe penalties are a skill that can be honed in advance, and others feel that is a waste of time because the pressure of the situation cannot be replicated on the training ground.
