Talk about doing it the hard way.
We knew the playoffs would be tough and that is how it is turning out, at least for us.
To no great surprise, we take a narrow lead to Portsmouth while Charlton grabbed a straightforward 2-1 win at Doncaster – forget the away goals, or absence of them, since these do not count in the EFL playoffs – and the finalists will be known by the end of this week. Our game is first up, on Thursday night, with Charlton completing what ought to be a formality 24 hours later.
Here’s what we passionately hope will be the penultimate opportunity for Salut! Sunderland readers to predict the outcome of a match this season.
Please let there be one more to come. The tie is effectively at half time and it doesn’t require a great footballing or mathematical brain to work out what Jack Ross and his men need to do and what they need to avoid.
Our winner will be whoever is first to post the correct score as things stand at the end of full time or, if played, extra time. That’s for the customary mug – the Sunderland dressing room design, with the winner choosing five names to appear on the shirts shown, and a suitable alternative should a Pompey fan win. By all means tell us the outcome of a penalty shootout, but the competition will be decided on the final score from normal play or AET.
Have a go. And Ha’way the Lads: a backs-to-the-wall 0-0 would do nicely, however good it would feel if we could go to the south coast and tonk them. Then we could start looking forward to, or fretting about, another playoff final against Charlton, assuming there’s no shock result at the Valley on Friday night.
HaWayyyyyy – I won!!!
A 2 – 1 loss after 90, nothing changes after 120. We win penners.
The Lads to win 4-2, we will do it.
Portsmouth at home will have goals in them. Not as many as us though. The lads to win 2-3 to set up a Charlton final.
3-3 MAYHEM !
3-0 away win. 0-0 after 60 minutes, Pompey throw the kitchen sink, Sunderland hit them on the break. Football is a simple game. Ha ha!
0-0 to the lads
A winner, Bill.Will be in touch
The eternal optimist says that any win or draw will do but go for 4-1 to the lads
bob 0-1 to the lads.
Ozturk’s appeal has been successful which is I think the fourth red card we have had rescinded this season. Impossible to say if that decision had any bearing on what the final result might have been but it can’t have helped.
We must be due for the rub of the green so I’ll go for 2 0 to us but am happy for anyone else, who hasn’t got a mug yet to go for the same score. I’ll happily go mugless if we win.
Portsmouth 1- 2 Sunderland, we just shade it.
A very tense 2-2 draw.
1-3
I have to pick it in the knowledge that one day it will happen.
Catts, McGuire or McGeady, Wyke, in that order
Portsmouth 1 Sunderland 1
A win over the two legs and another trip to Wembley. To face Charlton? This brings back sad memories. I was there, the last time.