Patrick Roberts sends clear message to Sunderland teammates as play-off final looms | OneFootball

Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts says his side can’t afford to get ahead of themselves, as they prepare for Saturday’s League One play-off final.

The Black Cats could end four seasons in the third-tier of English football with victory at Wembley on Saturday, although they will have to get past Wycombe Wanderers to do that.

Having lost just once in 17 games since Alex Neil’s appointment as manager back in February, there is inevitably going to be confidence around Sunderland that they can secure that long awaited promotion.

Indeed, the North East club will again have a huge following as they make the trip down to Wembley, having already sold well over 40,000 tickets.

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But despite all that, Roberts – whose late goal in the second leg of the play-off semi final with Sheffield Wednesday secured Sunderland’s place at Wembley – is keen to remain focussed on the task ahead.

Looking ahead to that final amid the excellent run of form the Black Cats are currently enjoying, the winger told The Athletic: “At this moment, the manager here is trusting in us, in me. It’s why we’re doing so well, we’ve got that trust.

“But now the thing is not to get carried away. There’s one more game. A lot of people need to realise that. It’s not done.”

The Verdict

This is absolutely the right approach for Roberts and Sunderland to take.

There is still another game that the Black Cats have to win before they can celebrate promotion, and to suggest otherwise would be disrespectful to Wycombe.

Gareth Ainsworth’s side also come into this in excellent form, with their 1-0 defeat to MK Dons in the second leg of their semi final, which they won 2-1 on aggregate anyway, their first defeat in 14.

As a result, they too will be going into this game with some considerable belief and confidence, and there is no way they are going to make this easy for Sunderland, given what is at stake for them as well.