Sunderland reach Championship playoff final as extra-time goal sinks Coventry

 Dan Ballard’s goal in the 122nd minute sent Sunderland to Wembley. Join Niall McVeigh for reaction.

23:06

And here’s Frank Lampard: “Congratulations to Sunderland, but I’m so proud of my players. I think we dominated at home, dominated large spells of this game tonight … from 17th in the league, how far this team has come, competing with the top teams in this division.

“We’re not bitter, but we were the better team over the two matches. I’m so disappointed for the players, the fans, the club … but I can’t be disappointed with the performance tonight. We took control, but in extra time it became more of a coin-toss. We were getting ready for penalties … it’s cruel, but we have to take pride in how we played.”

22:58

You do, of course, have to feel for Coventry, who more than played their part and had a golden chance to win the tie just before the final whistle after 90 minutes. If Lampard stays around and keeps building what he’s started this season, they may well be up there again next term.

22:54

“It’s what dreams are made of,” says Ballard, the man of the match. “Our fans gave it everything today. I got up early [for the header] and I saw it go in, then I don’t remember what happened! I’m so happy the gaffer put his trust in me, I hope I’ve repaid it.” You have, Dan.

And teammate Luke O’Nien: “Credit to Coventry and their fans, it must be a tough one to take, it’s been a great tie. The whole game’s been a bit of a blur, but I just remember the last minute. Ballard with his top off … we’ll enjoy it tonight, plenty of time until the final, we’ll focus when the time’s right.”

I’ve barely had time to address the fact Ballard jumped and stooped, producing a sort of hunched star-jump that could only lead to a goal in the last minute of extra time.

22:53

Dan Neil: “This means the world, it means so much to me, my family, the fans, everyone,” says the South Shields-born Sunderland captain. “We had a game plan, we stuck to it … when they scored, we could have folded but we found a way. The crowd were excellent, we felt we could play better and it was a case of grabbing the bull by the horns.”

“Our goal at the start of the season was promotion,” he adds. “Maybe we got carried away with the last-minute goal [tonight] – we’ve got to go to Wembley and put on a performance. There’s one more game to go. I know what football means to people up here, and I’ve tried to put that across to the lads. But we’ve got a great group of leaders here. It’s not just about who wears the armband.”

22:50

Regis Le Bris: “We were probably too nervous in the first part of the game … in extra time, we were better, we played our football. It’s a semi-final at home, a goal up – I think we were caught between two attitudes. Once they scored, then we felt we had to score.”

“We had a list [of penalty takers] but the corner kick was fantastic for Ballard. They deserve it, and now we have a fantastic final to play. [Ballard] is a strong man at the back, really important for us. Tonight, we’ll enjoy it and switch on for the final very soon.”

22:45

Phew. We’ll have a match report from Louise Taylor online shortly, but we’ll keep it going for more reaction here. The upshot of that insane ending is that Sunderland will face Sheffield United on 24 May at Wembley, for a place in the Premier League.

Full time! Sunderland 1-1 Coventry (3-2 on agg)

22:44

What an incredible finale. There is barely time to kick off again before the whistle sounds. Sunderland came so, so close to blowing it tonight but Dan Ballard was their hero. They will be underdogs against Sheffield United, but why should they care about that now? Sometimes, it feels like fate is on your side.