Pierre Ekwah insists he has not been 'shocked' by Sunderland's qualification for the play-offs - with the quality of the Black Cats' squad there for all to see. After winning promotion from League One last season, Sunderland were not expected to launch an immediate play-off challenge in the Championship.
But the Wearsiders have enjoyed an excellent first season back in the second tier, finishing sixth and securing a play-off spot with a semi-final first leg against Luton Town at the Stadium of Light to look forward to this evening. French midfielder Ekwah joined mid-season, signing from West Ham in January, but he immediately saw the potential in the squad and began to believe that a play off bid was possible.
"Do you know, to be honest, I wouldn't have been that shocked," he said, when asked what he would have said if he had been told when he signed that the club would make the play-offs. "When I saw the players that we had, I realised what this team could be capable of, and then I saw a couple of games and it persuaded me even more.
