Who ever believed in the form book for the playoffs anyway? No team has ever entered the English playoffs in worse form than Sunderland, after their five successive defeats, but Wilson Isidor’s first goal in 14 games and Eliezer Mayenda’s late capital enabled Regis Le Bris’s team to earn their first victory over Coventry City since 2007 and become favourites to reach the EFL Championship playoff final on 24 May.
Jack Rudoni, who grew up a Chelsea fan, Frank Lampard his hero, had headed Coventry level within two minutes of Isidor breaking his long goal drought. But then, in the 88th minute, Mayenda was gifted a clear run on Coventry’s goal by Milan van Ewijk’s disastrous back pass and rounded Ben Wilson, the Sunderland academy graduate in Coventry’s goal, before turning in the goal that has turned expectations on their head. The 2,400 travelling Sunderland fans reprised the Roker roar in their small corner of the CBS Arena.
