On this day in 2022, Sunderland beat Morecambe 1-0 to clinch the playoffs. The victory meant that Lads finished fifth and would play fourth place Sheffield Wednesday in the playoff semi finals.
The Lads were going into this game with momentum, Alex Neil’s side were on a 12 game unbeaten run. They also knew that a win would seal the playoffs. However, Morecambe were not entirely safe from the drop. If Gillingham were to beat Fleetwood and Morecambe failed to win, they would be relegated.
Morecambe were lively at the start, but offered little to no threat. Nathan Broadhead broke the deadlock, and the Lads went 1-0 up in the 10th minute. However, in the 25th minute the Black Cats had a huge injury scare. Broadhead went off injured in the 27th minute. Many fans were concerned because he had played such a crucial role in securing the playoffs, and there were question marks over whether we could secure promotion without him.
Ross Stewart came close to scoring the second, when his deflected shot went inches past the post. Trevor Carson also denied Patrick Roberts from close range. However, the Morecambe fans were really happy when they found out that Gillingham and Fleetwood drew 0-0. The game ended 1-0 and both sides had achieved their objective.
Derek Adams had successfully guided Morecambe to their highest league finish (19th in League One), meanwhile Alex Neil’s side had secured the play offs. MK Dons had smashed Plymouth 5-0, so Wycombe finished sixth. Sunderland went on to get promoted that season, defeating the Chairboys 2-0 at Wembley.
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