Not only has the new Championship season been a long time coming but so too has Sunderland’s return to the English second tier been long-anticipated as The Black Cats open their new season with a home fixture against Coventry City at the Stadium of Light.
After years of false dawns and huge disappointment, Sunderland returned to the Championship after a four-year hiatus and a tense League One play-off final against Wycombe Wanderers which saw the north-east club run out 2-0 winners.
Embo on target 🎯📺 @elliot_embo#SAFC pic.twitter.com/p5DHzDooHb— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) July 26, 2022
Embo on target 🎯📺 @elliot_embo#SAFC pic.twitter.com/p5DHzDooHb
And the hosts will be eager to make a better fist of things this time around.
Sunderland finished their previous Championship campaign in disarray as the Black Cats managed to pick up just two wins from their final 18 matches of that woeful season but dropping down to League One may have been a blessing in disguise.
A solid end of season run-in saw Sunderland put together a 16-match unbeaten run which contributed to a play-off spot, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on aggregate before claiming promotion at Wycombe Wanderers’ expense.
Coventry City finished last season’s Championship campaign in a creditable mid-table position of 12th in the table under manager, Mark Robins, who is steadily enhancing his managerial credentials at the Sky Blues.
He’ll be keen for his side to make a positive start in the north-east on Sunday lunchtime.
However, after a promising first half of the season which saw Coventry City sitting in 10th place and just five points adrift of the play-off pack, the Sky Blues faltered in the second half of the campaign as the west midlands club picked up just two wins from their last 10 matches overall of last term.
Both wins though were collected on their travels with an impressive 3-1 victory over promoted Fulham which was then followed by a west midlands win over their previous landlords, Birmingham City, in a 4-2 victory at St Andrews.
Indeed, Coventry City ended last term with a four-match unbeaten run on the road which also included points picked up in draws at West Brom and Stoke City.
But goals could come at a premium in this upcoming clash at the Stadium of Light as 13 of Coventry’s 19 away games last season resulted in under 2.5 goals.