Sunderland must go out with 'all guns blazing' at Preston and seize their opportunity to push for a Premier League return, insists Dan Neil. The Black Cats go to Deepdale on the final day of the Championship season tomorrow knowing they will seal a top six finish if they win in Lancashire and either Middlesbrough beat Coventry, or Millwall drop points against Blackburn.
And if they secure a play-off place it will keep alive their dream of a return to the top flight via back-to-back promotions. That would be the perfect scenario for Sunderland, a reversal of the nightmare they suffered when plummeting from the top flight to League One in the space of two years.
As Sunderland have kept pace in the play-off race throughout the season, doubts have been raised about whether the club would be ready for life in the top flight or would benefit from an extra year in the second tier, but Neil dismisses any such talk, pointing out you can never be certain when the next opportunity will come. Neil said: "Initially, it was a case of, 'Let's just stay in the league', but now, we're thinking, 'Why not? Why can't we go up this year?'
