Sunderland legend Gary Bennett believes we have what it takes to win the final, and seems confident enough that we can get over the line as long as we do the fundamentals correctly.
MOMENTUM
“I think there is a huge difference. You think for sure that Sunderland are going into the game with momentum. You look at their record at the present moment, especially since Alex Neil took over, he’s only lost one game.”
PRESSURE
“The other side of it is that the last couple of times when we have got into the play-offs, there has been a lot more pressure on Sunderland. They have always been favourites. You look at this season. I think everybody was thinking were we going to jet into the play-offs or not, that was our aim, never mind automatic promotion. We’ve got there but then they have looked at other teams that are in play-off situation and thought maybe they are in better momentum. You look at MK Dons, people were fancying them.”
UNDERDOGS?
“We all know about Wycombe. Strong, physical, been there before. Then obviously Sheffield Wednesday were on fire so when you look back at it with the four teams that were in, we weren’t the favourites to get to the final, never mind winning.”
WYCOMBE
“It’s always going to be on the day. It’s about who handles the occasion but it’s also about who handles the opposition. We all know what Wycombe are about and they will play to their strengths. They will try to upset Sunderland, get in their faces, get balls into the box, if not winning the first then trying to win the second one.”
MORE QUALITY
“What we’ve got to do, which you’ve always got to do in every game, is win your individual battles. If we can compete and stand up and be counted, then you look on paper with the ability of what we’ve got, we’ve got a bit more quality to go on and make things happen.”
CONFIDENCE
“You’ve got to be confident but you’ve got to be right. You’re not just going to turn up on the day and Wycombe will just fall over and let you win the game. You can’t go into the game thinking too confident because anything can happen. It’s like anything in life. Nothing is set in stone. You’re not supposed to win the game because you are Sunderland Football Club or you’ve got the most supporters there or the better players on the day.”
EARN IT
“You’ve got to earn that right. You’ve got to hope that your big players perform, they can handle the occasion and if you do that then yes, you’ve got a very good chance.”
