Sunderland 'Til I Die (2018) s02e06 Episode Script
Football Is Life
1
[birds chirping]
[man] As a community at a crucial time
of the season
-for Sunderland Football Club
-[seagulls cawing]
[mellow music playing]
there's been a great buzz in the city,
as the team have really pulled together,
trying to get back to where we belong
for automatic promotion this season.
This morning,
we march up the hill together
as a city,
as a community
and we spend some time reflecting
on the cross.
We pray together, we pray for one another
and we pray for all that goes on
in the city.
[birds chirping]
[in sermon] On the cross, He hung naked,
bleeding.
And as He died,
He felt forsaken by God.
Jesus' life and message looked like
a total failure that day.
Until the Resurrection.
Then everything changed.
For you,
for me, for everyone.
Forever.
Let's pray for our football club.
[seagulls cawing]
Be a match day in the stadium
this afternoon.
This time last year,
we were beaten
and relegated.
But because of the hope and belief
of our supporters
we dare to dream.
At this time of Easter and Resurrection,
we pray for new life.
We pray for healing
and for strength.
Amen.
-["Shipyards" by The Lake Poets plays]
-On the river ♪
Where they used to build the boats ♪
By the harbor wall
The place you loved the most ♪
I can see you there alone ♪
But, oh, you know ♪
I'll be there ♪
Soon ♪
All your life
You worked your fingers to the bone ♪
You worked hard
For every little thing you owned ♪
That you gave away for years ♪
As if you'd known ♪
[trains rumbling]
They were calling out ♪
But if you could see me now ♪
And if you could see me now ♪
I hope that I'm making you proud ♪
I hope that I'm making you proud ♪
Proud ♪
-[crowd buzzes in the distance]
-[tense music playing]
[whistle blows]
[Barnes] That's the halftime whistle.
[crowd shouting]
You couldn't make it up.
The second half,
what on earth
is in store for us there?
-[people chatter indistinctly]
-[Stewart sighs]
-That was terrible.
-[Stewart] Dear, oh, dear. Yeah.
They were ripped apart,
weren't they, easy?
-[Charlie] Easy, wasn't it?
-Yeah.
The gaps between the players were huge,
weren't they? Huge.
And when the midfield
With the two upfront,
if one midfielder goes wrong,
they just they just played round us
like we weren't there.
Well, Jack will have seen that,
so he should
-[Charlie] Formation change?
-He should change it.
[crowd chants]
-[shaker rattles]
-Come on, Sunderland!
[whistle blows]
[Barnes] Sunderland get us underway
this second half.
-[crowd applauds]
-Come on!
[Jack] I always challenge myself
and say, "Am I doing everything I can?"
-If I'm doing everything I can
-[fans clamoring]
and it doesn't go well,
there's not a lot more I can do.
[Barnes] Baldwin,
trying to play it through
towards Honeyman.
[crowd shouting]
-[shouting swells]
-[ball thuds]
[Barnes] And Coventry take the lead again!
[screaming] They're all open!
Come on!
[fans yelling indistinctly]
-[fans applaud]
-[Barnes] McGeady,
playing with the injections
to curb the pain
in the foot injury he's carrying.
[crowd buzzes]
[crowd shouts]
[tense music continues]
McGeady rolling it through,
looking for Wyke.
[crowd roars]
[yelling] And it's now Sunderland 4,
Coventry City 4!
[crowd chants]
We're by far the greatest team ♪
The world has ever seen ♪
[crowd shouts]
[Charlie] Move for him!
Move for him!
[shouting swells]
[Barnes] Trying to dig it out
in the penalty area,
and he's scored.
-[fans scream]
-It's Sunderland 4,
Coventry 5.
[keeper yells indistinctly]
Jack Ross must be pulling his hair out.
Our defending has been diabolical.
Sunderland's first home defeat
of the season
and it couldn't have been more dramatic,
it couldn't have been more bonkers.
[crowd buzzing]
[tense music fading]
[Charlie] I can't remember any team
I ever supported
conceding five goals at home.
That was heroically bad defending
on a Napoleonic scale.
Jack, where do you start? I mean,
to score four goals at home and lose
uh, raises lots of questions, I suppose,
in itself.
The brutal truth about today is,
you can't defend in that manner
um, against a good team and expect
to win games.
Albeit the good parts of our game,
in terms of character
and creating opportunities
and taking opportunities,
can't complain about that. Um
What the players put into the game
in terms of their effort and commitment,
I can't complain, but how we defended
is miles away from what it needs to be at.
[fan on radio] I have never seen
such an abject partnership
as Baldwin and Flanagan.
Something's got to be done.
[fan 2] What happens is,
when you've got players
who aren't doing their jobs,
that filters through
to the rest of the players.
I was in Tesco yesterday with my missus
and newborn baby.
A bloke come up to me
and started slagging me
about the game on Saturday.
It was just completely out the blue.
I said, "Excuse me?"
And he just said,
"What happened Saturday?" I was like,
"Just one of them games." He said,
"It's not fucking good enough, is it?"
And then his missus
had a real bite at me as well.
Just Just walked off.
They're looking at you
like you're not even trying.
And you're thinking,
"Well actually, I am trying."
So, it's difficult.
[birds cawing]
[Jack] Each and every time, you will pick
the players you think are best equipped
to win you a certain game.
And each and every time you do that,
you are going to disappoint
a number of players.
[players chatter indistinctly]
[players yell indistinctly]
And at times,
your choice or decision-making
can be explained beforehand.
At times, it's just not always possible
to do that.
[indistinct yelling continues]
My job this week is to recognize the ones
that are best equipped to pull us along,
'cause there's gonna be pressure.
But when we put our team out, it'll be
a team that will deal with that pressure
and will believe they can win these games.
[indistinct yelling continues]
[Baldwin] After the Coventry game,
I knew it wasn't good enough
and I kind of accepted that.
I got left out.
For the good of the football club,
I have to accept that.
'Cause if I went in and started demanding
to play and then
God forbid, made a mistake
and we messed up or whatever, then
[stammers] then I wouldn't be able
to live with myself.
[trimmer buzzing]
[Luke] Coming towards the end of
the season, even though we're not sitting
in the position we want to be,
I'm so sure if we win the next three,
that, uh, other people will drop points.
Yeah, three games, three wins,
and hopefully a few twists and turns
and we can still
squeeze into that top two.
[dramatic music playing]
[Charlie] At the moment,
I'm going into matches thinking,
"I hope today is the day when we turn
a corner and start playing well again."
-[whistle blows]
-[crowd buzzes in the distance]
[Andrew] It's not over yet.
Just keep the faith.
Need three points today,
massive game today.
The fans screaming the place down
for the players
and let's get the three points.
[crowd cheers and chants]
[players murmur]
Obviously, everyone,
when they're not in the side, is gutted.
Everyone wants to be out there,
doing what they love, and
We've been together about ten years now,
so, yeah, I can tell when he's down
or he's low.
It can really bring your life down.
They do say,
there's a lot of depression in football.
[stammers] It weighs heavily
on your mental health,
I do genuinely believe that and I
Before Jack played football,
I never would've understood it.
It really hits home that, actually,
-people do suffer really bad.
-[indistinct intercom chatter]
[crowd chants]
-[crowd shouts]
-[whistle blows]
[fans yell indistinctly]
[shouting swells]
-How can that be a dive, man?
-[crowd boos]
Get him booked, an' all.
-[crowd chants]
-[whistle blows]
[crowd erupts]
[Barnes] And Tom Flanagan
has given Sunderland the lead!
-[commentator 2] It's a great ball in.
-Sunderland 1,
-Portsmouth nil.
-[crowd cheering]
[Tom] I knew that it was going to be
a pressure season, and
a lot of people looking in.
People have times where the pressure gets
too much for them.
They might not realize it
and they might call it something else,
-but their performance will dip.
-[crowd shouts]
The people that you meet in Tesco,
the people that you meet in town,
that's the pressure,
because you come across
such nice people.
They spend all their money
that they've got
to come and watch you play.
[stammers] That's pressure.
-[crowd shouting]
-[ball clanks]
[Barnes] And it's knocked home by Lowe.
It came down off the bar,
and Lowe has just nudged it
into the bottom corner.
-[crowd boos]
-[commentator 2] It's a flare.
[Barnes] A smoke bomb or flare
has been thrown down
into the Sunderland supporters
below the Portsmouth fans.
It's one-all.
-[mellow music playing]
-I'm not sure what sparked that.
[players yelling indistinctly]
[players murmur]
[sprinklers twitching]
[woman] I had no faith in them at all!
[laughs]
Too many draws.
Oh, the draws. It's unbelievable.
They're not good enough, anyway.
They're not good enough.
It's still possible.
It really is still possible,
so it's a massive
it's a massive game.
[fans shout indistinctly]
[shouting continues]
[crowd cheers]
[fan whistling]
-[crowd cheers]
-[fan whistling]
[mellow music continues]
[fans yelling indistinctly]
[yelling continues]
[crowd cheers]
[mellow music fades]
-[fan whistling]
-[cheering continues]
Now obviously confirms
that it's the, um the playoffs.
Just really disappointing
that we've managed
to lose that match tonight.
The lads are tired,
and who can blame them?
We've-- We've had an awful lot of games,
what with the Checkatrade and everything.
Um
It'll be 61 games
by-- by the time
we finish the playoffs.
And that's a lot of games in a season.
It's been shite, it's not good enough.
Put that on camera.
It's fucking rubbish.
Sack that friggin' manager, he's terrible.
[man] Get rid of Ross. Fucking shite.
-Jack Ross
-Bottling bastards.
Fucking shite!
[mellow music resumes]
[Tony] Whatever happens now,
it is our least successful league position
in the history of the football club.
We've never finished this low, ever.
What I don't want to see is the fans turn.
Um, you know, we--
we don't want, sort of,
you know, Stewart to not be able
to walk down the street
'cause he gets grief from fans.
Or me, for that matter.
Um, and I think
it'll be such a shame after all the work
that's gone in if it's soured at the end.
That 2-1 was so close
to potentially going up.
[people chatter indistinctly]
[Charlie] One thing you can do
before we start the meeting.
Can you check with the ticket office
on where sales are?
-Hello. You okay?
-[woman murmurs on phone]
Uh, Charlie would like to know
how many tickets we've sold.
[woman murmurs]
-Cool, thanks very much.
-[Charlie stammers] Ask her,
just quickly, just quickly
Just make sure they include
all the hospitality numbers.
Yeah, they have, they said completely.
-I'd say it's on the low side, isn't it?
-Yeah.
Um
The difficult thing for me is,
if I point this out,
-people could get pissed off about it.
-Yeah.
But if I don't point it out,
then there's a danger everyone thinks,
"Oh, well everything's fine," you know,
"Yeah, I might not go on Saturday,
I'm sure it'll be fine," etcetera. So
Let's take it back to first principles.
What is the message
that is going to trigger people?
Um
Is it just more
fun, joyful, sort of, you know,
"Isn't this fun?" All that type of stuff.
Or is it a bit more of a call to action
and more "It's your duty" type thing?
I think it needs to be a call to action.
I think it needs to be,
"Nothing's been possible without the fans,
but it's not
you can't just stop
playing your part now."
Um
Or maybe we do little messages
from the players, from Jack.
Little clips saying,
"Get down to the stadium."
I just feel, for the first time,
that whatever I'm doing,
it not it hasn't quite worked.
We need a call to action
and the question is,
-who that is best coming from.
-Mm-hmm.
-I think it's best coming from Stewart.
-I think that's right.
[birds chirping]
[Lora] Are you hungry?
[baby coos]
I went up into the bathroom one night
and I said to him,
"It's really good that you want
to keep the football club, but
maybe your family don't."
All the Twitter stuff,
all the people that don't even know,
that make a judgment,
that say something negative about him.
It's
It's not true.
And it it breaks my heart,
'cause he's such a wonderful man.
To hear someone say
[stammers] Like there was something
about how much he paid for it.
There was some sort of discrepancy
and people were saying
he-- he was a chancer, but
He's He's the sweetest,
most honorable
hardworking man,
and I don't like hearing it.
[Stewart] Standing with Sean and
3,000 mad Sunderland fans
-is the best way to watch football.
-You can still go and stand with them.
You don't have to own it
to still enjoy it.
And then there's none of the stress
or pressure on you.
When it's all going great, that's fine.
But on the times it's not going great,
it doesn't feel worth it.
The kids love it.
The kids absolutely love it.
But they'd love it if you
just were a fan of it
-and still went to watch it.
-If you asked the children
whether they want me
to own Sunderland or not,
they would say they all want me
to own it, they love it.
If you asked a kid if it wanted to live
in a sweetshop,
it would say yes.
It doesn't mean
it's for the right reasons.
They don't mind me owning Sunderland.
So what is happening with anyone
that might be buying it?
Do you have anyone lined up?
Or do you not want to sell?
I don't want to sell.
But, um
The biggest thing we've got to avoid
at Sunderland is the fans turning
on the team and the manager.
'Cause once that happens,
apparently it's the worst place to be.
If we don't go up,
if you think this year has been
You've seen me stressed,
then wait wait for next year.
-[workers murmur]
-[Charlie] What's the day been like?
Do you think we'll get towards 25,000?
-Or is that too late for home fans?
-[woman] No, we'll get there.
We're only 200 off that now.
We're on 26,145,
including the away fans.
[Charlie stammers] It's not great,
but given where we were
at the start of the week,
-it could be worse.
-[woman] Absolutely.
We're still selling at the ticket office
until-- until kickoff?
-[woman 2] Yes.
-More or less? Yeah. Good. Okay.
Well, thanks a lot for all your
all your work this season.
Um
-If it ain't the last home game
-[woman 2 laughs]
-This is definitely the last one.
-[Charlie] This is the last one.
Hopefully, you ladies will get
a well-deserved bit of rest.
-[woman] Hopefully. [laughs]
-Respite. Rest.
Good stuff. All right.
Well, thanks very much.
Fingers crossed it'll be a happy
-happy evening for those that do turn up.
-Yes, fingers crossed.
[mellow music playing]
[Andrew] It is the lowest-selling match
of the season.
It is our biggest game
this season.
There's no getting away from that.
But you've got two perspectives
to look at it from.
You know, there's a league rule
out there that states,
during the playoffs
you cannot use your season ticket.
So every season ticket holder
of Sunderland has to go in paying.
If we go to Wembley again,
then obviously people need the money.
-[men] Happy birthday to you ♪
-[laughs]
-Happy birthday ♪
-[laughing continues]
-Happy birthday to you ♪
-Haven't brought me hat
[Andrew laughs]
-I don't know if you--
-[interviewer] What's going on?
Um, it's my birthday! [laughs]
I've got, um
I've got four hours and 55 minutes
left in my 40s
[laughs] In my 30s! Fucking hell!
In my 30s.
-We're going to win. 3-nil, I predict.
-[pots banging]
Then we'll go down there
and we're going to beat them 2-nil.
So we're going to get out
of this league. We are.
[fans chatter indistinctly]
[members murmur]
[Stewart] I know we haven't won
against Portsmouth this season.
[crowd buzzes]
I think we need to win tonight, um,
'cause it's going to be tough down there.
[fans whistling]
The lottery has begun.
We've just got to be on it.
[commentator 2] I get there's a lot
of reasons why the crowd isn't 40,000
[stammers] but I still think
that it's a good turnout,
-[crowd chants]
-27,000.
[fan] Did Gooch start earlier?
[Andrew] Where's Morgan?
No, he's playing. McGeady pulled out.
McGeady's out.
-[fan] What? What?
-McGeady's out.
McGeady's not on the pitch.
Gooch is on the pitch.
[chanting continues]
Where's McGeady?
[Barnes] McGeady misses out,
limped off in the warm-up.
He's been replaced by Lynden Gooch.
[Stewart] Aiden pulling up in the warm-up
is a blow.
He's probably the best attacking player
in the league
by a little margin.
-So that's-- that's a killer.
-[tense music playing]
[Barnes] Looking for the run of Hawkins
into the penalty area.
-[commentator 2] Great tackle.
-[Barnes] Great challenge by Özturk.
[Stewart] With Baldwin dropping out,
Özturk came back in.
And Özturk's played really well.
[crowd chants]
[Barnes] Oviedo. Trying to dig this out.
Finds Morgan behind him.
Slips the pass inside to Gooch,
Gooch trying to get away from Naylor.
-Shoots, but straight at MacGillivray.
-[crowd shouts]
That's technically the first shot
on target.
[crowd cheers]
[fans yelling indistinctly]
[yelling continues]
[crowd oohs]
Portsmouth half,
drops to Gooch.
Trying to come round Thompson.
Stumbles slightly,
Thompson slips.
Gooch crosses,
-Honeyman
-[commentator 2] Good save.
[Barnes] Good save by MacGillivray.
-[commentator 2] Excellent save.
-[Barnes] Pushing it over the bar,
from Honeyman's close-range header.
Ball's in the air.
Gooch looking to win it again.
Drops for Honeyman.
Honeyman now.
Trying to roll it out to the left,
to Oviedo.
Oviedo taking on Lowe.
Crosses
[loudly] Drops then
[yelling] Goal!
-[crowd cheering]
-Chris Maguire
[kids screaming]
in the 62nd minute,
-has driven it home!
-[women cheering]
[men screaming enthusiastically]
[crowd chants]
Sunderland AFC ♪
We're by far the greatest team ♪
The world has ever seen ♪
Go on! Oh!
[crowd shouts]
[tense music playing]
-[Barnes] And a red card
-[commentator 2] He's given a red card.
for Özturk.
Özturk shown a red card.
Oh, my God!
He got the ball.
How's that a red card?
[crowd buzzing]
This game's going to be
very stressful now.
[ball clanks]
-Ooh!
-Oh, my God!
[tense music continues]
Oh, my God!
-Get it out!
-[crowd shouts]
He's shit.
[shouting intensifies]
[Barnes] Bogle beaten by Maguire.
Maguire hammers it back down.
-[whistle blows]
-The referee blows,
and Sunderland
have won the first leg.
[crowd cheers]
Playing with ten men
-since the 68th minute.
-[women] Whoo!
They lead going into the second leg,
-courtesy of Chris Maguire's goal
-[kid screams]
in the 62nd minute.
[commentator 2] Excellent result
by Sunderland.
A little bit of carry-on there.
[Stewart] It was tough.
The lads were great.
They stood up
and they were men.
We needed that.
I think the fans saw that
it-- it meant a lot to the players.
[all yelling] Come on, Sunderland!
[kids clamoring and cheering]
[tense music fades]
[Aiden] I've been playing with this injury
for the last six, seven weeks.
I've not been training.
Then taking an injection,
a pain-killing injection just to play.
But, for some reason,
on Saturday I took
The normal routine,
so I took the injection, and then I felt
it hadn't quite worked
'cause my foot was still in a lot of pain.
I'm just going to leave the second leg
and, fingers crossed, we get to the final.
Give myself a couple of weeks extra
healing time
and then try and be fit for the final.
[dramatic music playing]
[Barnes] What's at stake tonight
is a place in the League One playoff final
at Wembley.
The prize then
is a place back in the Championship,
so it's a big night for both teams,
both clubs.
[announcer] Welcome to Fratton Park.
Please be advised
[Stewart] I think this is the most nervous
I've ever been at any football match.
This is going to be tough.
It's going to be blood, thunder, and guts,
and, um, we've just got to stay strong.
[crowd buzzes]
[Barnes] Ironically, the draws they've had
this season could hold them
in very good stead.
The one thing they did show
is they're a very difficult team to beat.
And that's what they've got to be tonight.
It's going to be nervous, tense,
but that's one of the beauties
of the playoffs.
[crowd shouting]
[fans yelling and applauding]
[crowd buzzes]
Go on, Georgie.
-Nice.
-Go on!
Go on, Chris.
-[crowd chants]
-[ball thuds]
[crowd oohs]
Fucking hell.
[fans applaud]
-[crowd shouts]
-[Stewart] Come on, referee!
-[shouting continues]
-Come on!
Fucking hell, ref!
[Ian] Dirty bastard.
He fucking laid him out.
[crowd chants]
[fans drumming]
[crowd shouts]
[chanting continues]
[Stewart] However this season's defined,
it's going to be defined
mainly by whether
they get promotion or not.
[shouting continues]
[crowd boos]
[players yelling indistinctly]
[Barnes] Oviedo to head to Leadbitter,
who hooks it over the top!
Maguire's onside.
[intensifies] He lobs it
over the goalkeeper but slips over.
[Stewart screaming] Come on!
-Come on! Come on!
-[fans applaud]
[Barnes] Brown on the left-hand side,
swings in a cross.
[intensifies]
Hawkins' header down, Evans
-What a save by McLaughlin!
-[crowd cheers]
That's a good save.
That's a good save, that is.
[Barnes] Looking for Honeyman.
Trying to get it down to Wyke,
-who stabs it back to Oviedo
-[crowd oohs]
It whistles just over the bar,
an inch or two over.
Gives it to Evans.
Evans trying to find Brown again.
Down the left of the penalty area.
He crosses.
Hawkins' header!
Tipped over the bar by McLaughlin.
-[crowd buzzes]
-[dramatic music continues]
[crowd oohs]
Down the line. Ten seconds.
Down to five seconds.
The referee looks at his watch.
It's a throw to Sunderland
on the left here,
in front of Jack Ross.
How appropriate that will be.
-The full-time whistle's blown
-[crowd erupts]
and Sunderland are through.
Sunderland are through to Wembley.
-[fans screaming]
-They've drawn tonight,
nil-nil, with Portsmouth.
Another draw,
a significant draw,
a massive draw for Sunderland tonight.
[continued cheering]
Come on!
[Stewart] My blood pressure
is through the roof.
I don't think I've taken a breath
for 20 minutes.
-[crowd chants]
-Um
You know, that's what being
a football fan's about.
I was surrounded by them all,
we're all in the same boat.
Everyone's watching their watch
for about 20 minutes.
Time doesn't go very quick.
-[chanting continues]
-But we got there, we got there.
So it's all that matters.
You know, one more game
and we've had just the best season ever.
[mellow music plays then fades]
[seagulls cawing]
[Peter] This Sunday,
it's all or nothing really, isn't it?
But let's hope everybody's wishes
come true.
[mellow music resumes]
[Barnes] I'm superstitious about the fact
it's Charlton Athletic in the final again.
Of all the teams it could've been,
of all the scenarios
that could've panned out this season,
I do think there's something
What would you call it?
Superstitious, hoodoo, whatever.
About the fact it mirrors 1998
and it's Charlton again
in the playoff final.
[Peter] It's like a story.
You know,
it's a perfect story for football.
-[engine revs]
-I was there, I took my two sons.
[camera shutters]
[crowd cheers]
And everybody knows the fact the score
was four each and it went to penalties.
[mellow music intensifies]
[crowd cheers]
[camera shutters]
That's me.
A slightly younger, slimmer version.
That's Michael Gray,
who's missed the penalty,
and that's Niall Quinn
who's consoling him.
And it's just a reminder
of what happened then and
the feelings we had of
losing a a massive game like that.
The one team I wanted,
I wanted to play Charlton. Don't know why.
It doesn't mean we're going to beat them.
I just feel
There was something inside me
wanting to
wanting to play Charlton at Wembley
in a playoff final.
I don't feel as if it's a ghost,
I don't feel as if it's revenge,
I just feel that,
-it just seems right.
-[wheels rattling]
[birds cawing]
[bar patrons] Boo!
[man laughs]
-[patrons continue yelling]
-[woman] Ha'way the lads!
[man] Stop it, Lynne.
[car honks]
She makes it worse.
[Lynne] London King's Cross.
Are you gonna frighten them
It says, "Mind the gap."
Yeah.
-And we're getting closer and closer.
-[Lynne laughs]
[announcer murmurs over intercom]
Can't sit back now! [laughs]
Right, food.
[passengers murmur]
Bakewells and some crisps.
-What's it say on there?
-"Deliver us from League One."
[Lynne laughs] "Deliver us
from League One!"
Father Mark,
prayer for Sunderland's playoff final.
"The Promotion Prayer"! [laughs]
"Strong and faithful God,
as we come together as a city
for this important match
[crowd buzzes]
we ask You to bless our team,
keep them safe from injury and harm
-[crowd murmurs]
-and keep them in respect
for each other.
[dramatic music playing]
And reward them for their perseverance.
-[crowd chants]
-Thank you for the passion
and the loyalty of Sunderland fans.
Grant them peace and joy this Sunday.
[chanting continues]
-[crowd cheers]
-Lead us all to the rewards
of your kingdom
where You live and reign forever and ever.
Amen."
-[drums beating]
-Come on!
-[crowd buzzes]
-[whistle blows]
[Ian] Come on, lads!
[crowd shouting]
[crowd oohs and cheers]
[Eddie] That would've been a good start,
wouldn't it?
[Lynne] Ha'way!
[Barnes] He's got the ball
-[commentator 2] It's a goal! Oh!
-[Barnes] He missed it!
[crowd roars]
-[Barnes] Sunderland score!
-[commentator 2 laughs]
What a bizarre goal that is.
[Barnes] Sunderland take the most bizarre,
-unexpected lead.
-[fans screaming]
[crowd cheering]
-[commentator 2] That was bizarre.
-[Barnes] Sunderland leads a goal to nil
and we're only five minutes in.
Down the line again to Lewis Morgan.
Morgan swings in his cross
-And he leaves it for Leadbitter.
-[crowd shouting]
-Low shot!
-[commentator 2] Oh, what a save.
[fans ooh]
[fans applaud and yell]
[tense music playing]
-[crowd shouts]
-[Barnes] Max Power's down again.
[crowd boos]
[announcer] Substitution,
number 27, Max Power,
replaced by number 17,
Lewis Morgan.
Oh, he's not got that.
[Andrew] Away.
-[fans applaud]
-And again.
Get your shape, lads.
Get your shape.
-Too much space, he's got.
-[fan whistles]
Look at the shape.
The line's not right, man.
[dramatic music intensifies]
[crowd roars]
The line was all wrong, man.
[Barnes] Ben Purrington equalizes,
virtually on the goal line.
[Ian] We were playing everybody onside.
[Barnes] As the referee
looks at his watch.
-[whistle blows]
-Blows for halftime.
[Lynne] I still think we'll do it.
And I just hate this squeaky bum time.
I hate this not knowing.
-I want it to be over and we've won.
-[tense music fades]
I don't want to sit through
this next 45 minutes.
-You okay?
-That was terrible, wasn't it?
-The first 15
-Psychologically, we cannot cope
with being a goal up.
We've turned around,
picked up the gift, and just said,
"Here, have it back."
We've then decided to try and defend
a 1-nil lead for 90 minutes.
-[members murmur]
-That's not going to happen.
-[tense music resumes]
-[crowd cheers]
[Barnes] Andy Madley checks his watch
and waves play away for the second half.
Have you ever seen a side come out
for the second half
and look as unmotivated
as Sunderland looks right now?
They need to get on with it.
Now.
-[players thud]
-[crowd oohs]
[Barnes] Ooh, and a crushing challenge
at the far side.
[Luke] I can remember going up
for the header and then
And then standing up
and having a bit of wobbly legs.
Oh
[fans applaud]
[crowd cheers]
[tense music intensifies]
[whistle blows]
-[Barnes] It's Jonny Williams.
-[indistinct intercom chatter]
[crowd cheers]
There's one player you didn't want
Charlton to bring on.
-Jonny Williams.
-Aye.
Mind you, when he played for us,
always injured.
[Barnes] McGeady's going to come on.
McGeady stripping off.
[fans cheer]
-We need him!
-[fans applaud]
[Lynne] Too much pressure
on Aiden McGeady now.
I really think that's too much pressure
on him.
That's it now, we're done. No more subs.
[commentator 2] Huge buzz
around the Sunderland fans
as soon as Aiden McGeady gets on the ball.
They're desperate for him
to show some of his magic, aren't they?
[Barnes] They know what he's capable of.
Leadbitter into Cattermole.
Into the center circle for Sunderland.
[Juan] Come on, do something.
Come on!
Go on!
[Barnes] McGeady now,
-trying to curl it in the top corner.
-[commentator 2 sighs]
[Barnes] And away behind for a goal kick.
[commentator 2] You can see
what he tried to do. Got too much on it.
[music distorts and slows]
[crowd shouts]
[crowd applauds]
[Barnes] Williams again for Charlton,
trying to get away down the left wing,
down the left touchline.
He's, uh, motoring on.
-He's getting down here, but he's tackled.
-[crowd shouts]
The referee's given it as a free kick
for a foul by O'Nien.
[commentator 2] Another free kick.
-[fans applaud and yell]
-I feel sick.
[Barnes] Purrington keeps it in
on the far side, looking for Parker here.
He's pulled down.
It'll be a free kick, foul by Özturk.
Thirty seconds
of the four left,
but there will be a bit more,
no doubt, now for
Extra time really does loom over us now.
[crowd cheers]
-It's stabbed home.
-[commentator 2] Oh, no!
-[crowd roars]
-[Barnes] Charlton have scored.
Pearce and Bauer between them
have stabbed it home
and there are seconds left.
There's no way back for Sunderland.
Charlton have won this
at the very, very death.
[mellow music playing]
[cheering continues]
[final whistle blows]
[fans whistling]
-[crowd cheering]
-[confetti pops]
[popping continues]
[crowd cheers and applauds]
[cheering swells]
[crowd chanting]
[indistinct intercom chatter]
[Andrew] Been here before, haven't we? Eh?
Been here before.
Let's applaud them off.
Sunderland 'til we die, man.
We're Sunderland 'til we die.
[Andrew claps]
Fucking nearly made it, eh?
Why is it never us celebrating?
Why is it never us?
[crowd applauds]
[Jack] It's a sore way to lose
a football match.
I don't think my players deserved
to lose the game in that manner,
for what they put into the game,
for what they put into the season.
But we have done.
So we congratulate Charlton
and wish them well in their promotion.
Um, we have to dust ourselves down
over the coming weeks,
but now there's a rawness of emotion
that is very sore.
[Lora] You look like you're going to cry.
[members murmur]
-[man] Next season. Cheers.
-[glasses clink]
Cheers, mate. Thanks a lot.
I shook your hand the last time.
-Are we ever going to be good, mate?
-[Stewart] Eh?
Are we ever going to be good?
This is the eighth time we've lost here,
-I'm fucking heartbroken.
-[Stewart] Well, yeah. Yeah.
[fan] I feel like crying in front of you.
[stammers] I don't think I'm any happier
than you are.
Eh? Eh.
[fan] I just want a bit of hope.
Are we going to get there?
[exhales] Well, I'm sure we'll get there,
yeah.
-It doesn't feel like that now, does it?
-[fan] It doesn't.
[Lynne sighs deeply, mutters]
Oh
Other clubs can say this, that,
and the other about it,
but our fans are special.
They don't deserve to keep coming
to Wembley and losing.
[mellow music continues]
[wheels rattling]
[John] Well, two days after we've lost,
I'm still not over it, so.
I've never, ever been as confident
in my life about one game.
So I still can't understand
how we got beat.
And I suppose I'm still in shock
because I thought
[chuckles] I thought we'd do it.
I go back to 21 years ago.
After the Charlton loss,
when we were devastated
the next three or four years
were the best three or four years
in my 30 years here.
[Joyce] In all the 21 years
I've worked here,
I've never seen anybody cry.
And some of them players
were in floods of tears.
I've never, ever seen that side
of them before.
So-- Ever. So it really got to me
-when I saw them.
-But it's going to serve them well.
They'll remember that, they don't want
to be there again. Simple as that.
[Charlie] In the space of 12 months,
the club has gone from losing
£20 million a year
to break even.
This club cannot be in the third division
of English football for three years.
[stammers] That is just not acceptable.
Next season, the club has to win
this title, win this championship,
and do it in a comfortable fashion.
[seagulls cawing]
[Stewart] I think we could've done better.
So I look at that area
of the football club and promise myself
we don't want the following season
to be as bad as this one again.
The football club is the community
and I want to stay here, um,
for a long time.
Um
[stammers] It's a great place to be.
But of course,
I won't outstay my welcome.
The fans will tell me
and I'll stay as long as they want me to.
Apart from my family,
Sunderland's my next love.
And that's it.
[Andrew] We live in an area where
it hasn't got the best-paid jobs.
You know, it's not the richest part
of the United Kingdom
by any stretch of the imagination.
It's life in the North East.
-Football is life.
-[inspiring music playing]
It's what you look forward to
on a Monday.
You look forward to going to the match,
home or away, on the Saturday.
It's life, it really is.
Football in this area
is absolutely massive.
[Peter] Next year, my hope and prayer,
I don't want to be nowhere near
an underground station next year,
next summer.
[inspiring music fades]
I don't want to be in London.
I don't-- [laughs]
I love-- It's a nice place to be,
I just want to see Sunderland
win the league at the Stadium of Light.
End of story. Finished.
[tense music playing]
-["Shipyards" by The Lake Poets plays]
-On the river ♪
Where they used to build the boats ♪
By the harbor wall
The place you loved the most ♪
I can see you there alone ♪
But, oh, you know ♪
I'll be there ♪
Soon ♪
All your life
You worked your fingers to the bone ♪
You worked hard
For every little thing you owned ♪
But you gave away for yours ♪
[birds chirping]
[man] As a community at a crucial time
of the season
-for Sunderland Football Club
-[seagulls cawing]
[mellow music playing]
there's been a great buzz in the city,
as the team have really pulled together,
trying to get back to where we belong
for automatic promotion this season.
This morning,
we march up the hill together
as a city,
as a community
and we spend some time reflecting
on the cross.
We pray together, we pray for one another
and we pray for all that goes on
in the city.
[birds chirping]
[in sermon] On the cross, He hung naked,
bleeding.
And as He died,
He felt forsaken by God.
Jesus' life and message looked like
a total failure that day.
Until the Resurrection.
Then everything changed.
For you,
for me, for everyone.
Forever.
Let's pray for our football club.
[seagulls cawing]
Be a match day in the stadium
this afternoon.
This time last year,
we were beaten
and relegated.
But because of the hope and belief
of our supporters
we dare to dream.
At this time of Easter and Resurrection,
we pray for new life.
We pray for healing
and for strength.
Amen.
-["Shipyards" by The Lake Poets plays]
-On the river ♪
Where they used to build the boats ♪
By the harbor wall
The place you loved the most ♪
I can see you there alone ♪
But, oh, you know ♪
I'll be there ♪
Soon ♪
All your life
You worked your fingers to the bone ♪
You worked hard
For every little thing you owned ♪
That you gave away for years ♪
As if you'd known ♪
[trains rumbling]
They were calling out ♪
But if you could see me now ♪
And if you could see me now ♪
I hope that I'm making you proud ♪
I hope that I'm making you proud ♪
Proud ♪
-[crowd buzzes in the distance]
-[tense music playing]
[whistle blows]
[Barnes] That's the halftime whistle.
[crowd shouting]
You couldn't make it up.
The second half,
what on earth
is in store for us there?
-[people chatter indistinctly]
-[Stewart sighs]
-That was terrible.
-[Stewart] Dear, oh, dear. Yeah.
They were ripped apart,
weren't they, easy?
-[Charlie] Easy, wasn't it?
-Yeah.
The gaps between the players were huge,
weren't they? Huge.
And when the midfield
With the two upfront,
if one midfielder goes wrong,
they just they just played round us
like we weren't there.
Well, Jack will have seen that,
so he should
-[Charlie] Formation change?
-He should change it.
[crowd chants]
-[shaker rattles]
-Come on, Sunderland!
[whistle blows]
[Barnes] Sunderland get us underway
this second half.
-[crowd applauds]
-Come on!
[Jack] I always challenge myself
and say, "Am I doing everything I can?"
-If I'm doing everything I can
-[fans clamoring]
and it doesn't go well,
there's not a lot more I can do.
[Barnes] Baldwin,
trying to play it through
towards Honeyman.
[crowd shouting]
-[shouting swells]
-[ball thuds]
[Barnes] And Coventry take the lead again!
[screaming] They're all open!
Come on!
[fans yelling indistinctly]
-[fans applaud]
-[Barnes] McGeady,
playing with the injections
to curb the pain
in the foot injury he's carrying.
[crowd buzzes]
[crowd shouts]
[tense music continues]
McGeady rolling it through,
looking for Wyke.
[crowd roars]
[yelling] And it's now Sunderland 4,
Coventry City 4!
[crowd chants]
We're by far the greatest team ♪
The world has ever seen ♪
[crowd shouts]
[Charlie] Move for him!
Move for him!
[shouting swells]
[Barnes] Trying to dig it out
in the penalty area,
and he's scored.
-[fans scream]
-It's Sunderland 4,
Coventry 5.
[keeper yells indistinctly]
Jack Ross must be pulling his hair out.
Our defending has been diabolical.
Sunderland's first home defeat
of the season
and it couldn't have been more dramatic,
it couldn't have been more bonkers.
[crowd buzzing]
[tense music fading]
[Charlie] I can't remember any team
I ever supported
conceding five goals at home.
That was heroically bad defending
on a Napoleonic scale.
Jack, where do you start? I mean,
to score four goals at home and lose
uh, raises lots of questions, I suppose,
in itself.
The brutal truth about today is,
you can't defend in that manner
um, against a good team and expect
to win games.
Albeit the good parts of our game,
in terms of character
and creating opportunities
and taking opportunities,
can't complain about that. Um
What the players put into the game
in terms of their effort and commitment,
I can't complain, but how we defended
is miles away from what it needs to be at.
[fan on radio] I have never seen
such an abject partnership
as Baldwin and Flanagan.
Something's got to be done.
[fan 2] What happens is,
when you've got players
who aren't doing their jobs,
that filters through
to the rest of the players.
I was in Tesco yesterday with my missus
and newborn baby.
A bloke come up to me
and started slagging me
about the game on Saturday.
It was just completely out the blue.
I said, "Excuse me?"
And he just said,
"What happened Saturday?" I was like,
"Just one of them games." He said,
"It's not fucking good enough, is it?"
And then his missus
had a real bite at me as well.
Just Just walked off.
They're looking at you
like you're not even trying.
And you're thinking,
"Well actually, I am trying."
So, it's difficult.
[birds cawing]
[Jack] Each and every time, you will pick
the players you think are best equipped
to win you a certain game.
And each and every time you do that,
you are going to disappoint
a number of players.
[players chatter indistinctly]
[players yell indistinctly]
And at times,
your choice or decision-making
can be explained beforehand.
At times, it's just not always possible
to do that.
[indistinct yelling continues]
My job this week is to recognize the ones
that are best equipped to pull us along,
'cause there's gonna be pressure.
But when we put our team out, it'll be
a team that will deal with that pressure
and will believe they can win these games.
[indistinct yelling continues]
[Baldwin] After the Coventry game,
I knew it wasn't good enough
and I kind of accepted that.
I got left out.
For the good of the football club,
I have to accept that.
'Cause if I went in and started demanding
to play and then
God forbid, made a mistake
and we messed up or whatever, then
[stammers] then I wouldn't be able
to live with myself.
[trimmer buzzing]
[Luke] Coming towards the end of
the season, even though we're not sitting
in the position we want to be,
I'm so sure if we win the next three,
that, uh, other people will drop points.
Yeah, three games, three wins,
and hopefully a few twists and turns
and we can still
squeeze into that top two.
[dramatic music playing]
[Charlie] At the moment,
I'm going into matches thinking,
"I hope today is the day when we turn
a corner and start playing well again."
-[whistle blows]
-[crowd buzzes in the distance]
[Andrew] It's not over yet.
Just keep the faith.
Need three points today,
massive game today.
The fans screaming the place down
for the players
and let's get the three points.
[crowd cheers and chants]
[players murmur]
Obviously, everyone,
when they're not in the side, is gutted.
Everyone wants to be out there,
doing what they love, and
We've been together about ten years now,
so, yeah, I can tell when he's down
or he's low.
It can really bring your life down.
They do say,
there's a lot of depression in football.
[stammers] It weighs heavily
on your mental health,
I do genuinely believe that and I
Before Jack played football,
I never would've understood it.
It really hits home that, actually,
-people do suffer really bad.
-[indistinct intercom chatter]
[crowd chants]
-[crowd shouts]
-[whistle blows]
[fans yell indistinctly]
[shouting swells]
-How can that be a dive, man?
-[crowd boos]
Get him booked, an' all.
-[crowd chants]
-[whistle blows]
[crowd erupts]
[Barnes] And Tom Flanagan
has given Sunderland the lead!
-[commentator 2] It's a great ball in.
-Sunderland 1,
-Portsmouth nil.
-[crowd cheering]
[Tom] I knew that it was going to be
a pressure season, and
a lot of people looking in.
People have times where the pressure gets
too much for them.
They might not realize it
and they might call it something else,
-but their performance will dip.
-[crowd shouts]
The people that you meet in Tesco,
the people that you meet in town,
that's the pressure,
because you come across
such nice people.
They spend all their money
that they've got
to come and watch you play.
[stammers] That's pressure.
-[crowd shouting]
-[ball clanks]
[Barnes] And it's knocked home by Lowe.
It came down off the bar,
and Lowe has just nudged it
into the bottom corner.
-[crowd boos]
-[commentator 2] It's a flare.
[Barnes] A smoke bomb or flare
has been thrown down
into the Sunderland supporters
below the Portsmouth fans.
It's one-all.
-[mellow music playing]
-I'm not sure what sparked that.
[players yelling indistinctly]
[players murmur]
[sprinklers twitching]
[woman] I had no faith in them at all!
[laughs]
Too many draws.
Oh, the draws. It's unbelievable.
They're not good enough, anyway.
They're not good enough.
It's still possible.
It really is still possible,
so it's a massive
it's a massive game.
[fans shout indistinctly]
[shouting continues]
[crowd cheers]
[fan whistling]
-[crowd cheers]
-[fan whistling]
[mellow music continues]
[fans yelling indistinctly]
[yelling continues]
[crowd cheers]
[mellow music fades]
-[fan whistling]
-[cheering continues]
Now obviously confirms
that it's the, um the playoffs.
Just really disappointing
that we've managed
to lose that match tonight.
The lads are tired,
and who can blame them?
We've-- We've had an awful lot of games,
what with the Checkatrade and everything.
Um
It'll be 61 games
by-- by the time
we finish the playoffs.
And that's a lot of games in a season.
It's been shite, it's not good enough.
Put that on camera.
It's fucking rubbish.
Sack that friggin' manager, he's terrible.
[man] Get rid of Ross. Fucking shite.
-Jack Ross
-Bottling bastards.
Fucking shite!
[mellow music resumes]
[Tony] Whatever happens now,
it is our least successful league position
in the history of the football club.
We've never finished this low, ever.
What I don't want to see is the fans turn.
Um, you know, we--
we don't want, sort of,
you know, Stewart to not be able
to walk down the street
'cause he gets grief from fans.
Or me, for that matter.
Um, and I think
it'll be such a shame after all the work
that's gone in if it's soured at the end.
That 2-1 was so close
to potentially going up.
[people chatter indistinctly]
[Charlie] One thing you can do
before we start the meeting.
Can you check with the ticket office
on where sales are?
-Hello. You okay?
-[woman murmurs on phone]
Uh, Charlie would like to know
how many tickets we've sold.
[woman murmurs]
-Cool, thanks very much.
-[Charlie stammers] Ask her,
just quickly, just quickly
Just make sure they include
all the hospitality numbers.
Yeah, they have, they said completely.
-I'd say it's on the low side, isn't it?
-Yeah.
Um
The difficult thing for me is,
if I point this out,
-people could get pissed off about it.
-Yeah.
But if I don't point it out,
then there's a danger everyone thinks,
"Oh, well everything's fine," you know,
"Yeah, I might not go on Saturday,
I'm sure it'll be fine," etcetera. So
Let's take it back to first principles.
What is the message
that is going to trigger people?
Um
Is it just more
fun, joyful, sort of, you know,
"Isn't this fun?" All that type of stuff.
Or is it a bit more of a call to action
and more "It's your duty" type thing?
I think it needs to be a call to action.
I think it needs to be,
"Nothing's been possible without the fans,
but it's not
you can't just stop
playing your part now."
Um
Or maybe we do little messages
from the players, from Jack.
Little clips saying,
"Get down to the stadium."
I just feel, for the first time,
that whatever I'm doing,
it not it hasn't quite worked.
We need a call to action
and the question is,
-who that is best coming from.
-Mm-hmm.
-I think it's best coming from Stewart.
-I think that's right.
[birds chirping]
[Lora] Are you hungry?
[baby coos]
I went up into the bathroom one night
and I said to him,
"It's really good that you want
to keep the football club, but
maybe your family don't."
All the Twitter stuff,
all the people that don't even know,
that make a judgment,
that say something negative about him.
It's
It's not true.
And it it breaks my heart,
'cause he's such a wonderful man.
To hear someone say
[stammers] Like there was something
about how much he paid for it.
There was some sort of discrepancy
and people were saying
he-- he was a chancer, but
He's He's the sweetest,
most honorable
hardworking man,
and I don't like hearing it.
[Stewart] Standing with Sean and
3,000 mad Sunderland fans
-is the best way to watch football.
-You can still go and stand with them.
You don't have to own it
to still enjoy it.
And then there's none of the stress
or pressure on you.
When it's all going great, that's fine.
But on the times it's not going great,
it doesn't feel worth it.
The kids love it.
The kids absolutely love it.
But they'd love it if you
just were a fan of it
-and still went to watch it.
-If you asked the children
whether they want me
to own Sunderland or not,
they would say they all want me
to own it, they love it.
If you asked a kid if it wanted to live
in a sweetshop,
it would say yes.
It doesn't mean
it's for the right reasons.
They don't mind me owning Sunderland.
So what is happening with anyone
that might be buying it?
Do you have anyone lined up?
Or do you not want to sell?
I don't want to sell.
But, um
The biggest thing we've got to avoid
at Sunderland is the fans turning
on the team and the manager.
'Cause once that happens,
apparently it's the worst place to be.
If we don't go up,
if you think this year has been
You've seen me stressed,
then wait wait for next year.
-[workers murmur]
-[Charlie] What's the day been like?
Do you think we'll get towards 25,000?
-Or is that too late for home fans?
-[woman] No, we'll get there.
We're only 200 off that now.
We're on 26,145,
including the away fans.
[Charlie stammers] It's not great,
but given where we were
at the start of the week,
-it could be worse.
-[woman] Absolutely.
We're still selling at the ticket office
until-- until kickoff?
-[woman 2] Yes.
-More or less? Yeah. Good. Okay.
Well, thanks a lot for all your
all your work this season.
Um
-If it ain't the last home game
-[woman 2 laughs]
-This is definitely the last one.
-[Charlie] This is the last one.
Hopefully, you ladies will get
a well-deserved bit of rest.
-[woman] Hopefully. [laughs]
-Respite. Rest.
Good stuff. All right.
Well, thanks very much.
Fingers crossed it'll be a happy
-happy evening for those that do turn up.
-Yes, fingers crossed.
[mellow music playing]
[Andrew] It is the lowest-selling match
of the season.
It is our biggest game
this season.
There's no getting away from that.
But you've got two perspectives
to look at it from.
You know, there's a league rule
out there that states,
during the playoffs
you cannot use your season ticket.
So every season ticket holder
of Sunderland has to go in paying.
If we go to Wembley again,
then obviously people need the money.
-[men] Happy birthday to you ♪
-[laughs]
-Happy birthday ♪
-[laughing continues]
-Happy birthday to you ♪
-Haven't brought me hat
[Andrew laughs]
-I don't know if you--
-[interviewer] What's going on?
Um, it's my birthday! [laughs]
I've got, um
I've got four hours and 55 minutes
left in my 40s
[laughs] In my 30s! Fucking hell!
In my 30s.
-We're going to win. 3-nil, I predict.
-[pots banging]
Then we'll go down there
and we're going to beat them 2-nil.
So we're going to get out
of this league. We are.
[fans chatter indistinctly]
[members murmur]
[Stewart] I know we haven't won
against Portsmouth this season.
[crowd buzzes]
I think we need to win tonight, um,
'cause it's going to be tough down there.
[fans whistling]
The lottery has begun.
We've just got to be on it.
[commentator 2] I get there's a lot
of reasons why the crowd isn't 40,000
[stammers] but I still think
that it's a good turnout,
-[crowd chants]
-27,000.
[fan] Did Gooch start earlier?
[Andrew] Where's Morgan?
No, he's playing. McGeady pulled out.
McGeady's out.
-[fan] What? What?
-McGeady's out.
McGeady's not on the pitch.
Gooch is on the pitch.
[chanting continues]
Where's McGeady?
[Barnes] McGeady misses out,
limped off in the warm-up.
He's been replaced by Lynden Gooch.
[Stewart] Aiden pulling up in the warm-up
is a blow.
He's probably the best attacking player
in the league
by a little margin.
-So that's-- that's a killer.
-[tense music playing]
[Barnes] Looking for the run of Hawkins
into the penalty area.
-[commentator 2] Great tackle.
-[Barnes] Great challenge by Özturk.
[Stewart] With Baldwin dropping out,
Özturk came back in.
And Özturk's played really well.
[crowd chants]
[Barnes] Oviedo. Trying to dig this out.
Finds Morgan behind him.
Slips the pass inside to Gooch,
Gooch trying to get away from Naylor.
-Shoots, but straight at MacGillivray.
-[crowd shouts]
That's technically the first shot
on target.
[crowd cheers]
[fans yelling indistinctly]
[yelling continues]
[crowd oohs]
Portsmouth half,
drops to Gooch.
Trying to come round Thompson.
Stumbles slightly,
Thompson slips.
Gooch crosses,
-Honeyman
-[commentator 2] Good save.
[Barnes] Good save by MacGillivray.
-[commentator 2] Excellent save.
-[Barnes] Pushing it over the bar,
from Honeyman's close-range header.
Ball's in the air.
Gooch looking to win it again.
Drops for Honeyman.
Honeyman now.
Trying to roll it out to the left,
to Oviedo.
Oviedo taking on Lowe.
Crosses
[loudly] Drops then
[yelling] Goal!
-[crowd cheering]
-Chris Maguire
[kids screaming]
in the 62nd minute,
-has driven it home!
-[women cheering]
[men screaming enthusiastically]
[crowd chants]
Sunderland AFC ♪
We're by far the greatest team ♪
The world has ever seen ♪
Go on! Oh!
[crowd shouts]
[tense music playing]
-[Barnes] And a red card
-[commentator 2] He's given a red card.
for Özturk.
Özturk shown a red card.
Oh, my God!
He got the ball.
How's that a red card?
[crowd buzzing]
This game's going to be
very stressful now.
[ball clanks]
-Ooh!
-Oh, my God!
[tense music continues]
Oh, my God!
-Get it out!
-[crowd shouts]
He's shit.
[shouting intensifies]
[Barnes] Bogle beaten by Maguire.
Maguire hammers it back down.
-[whistle blows]
-The referee blows,
and Sunderland
have won the first leg.
[crowd cheers]
Playing with ten men
-since the 68th minute.
-[women] Whoo!
They lead going into the second leg,
-courtesy of Chris Maguire's goal
-[kid screams]
in the 62nd minute.
[commentator 2] Excellent result
by Sunderland.
A little bit of carry-on there.
[Stewart] It was tough.
The lads were great.
They stood up
and they were men.
We needed that.
I think the fans saw that
it-- it meant a lot to the players.
[all yelling] Come on, Sunderland!
[kids clamoring and cheering]
[tense music fades]
[Aiden] I've been playing with this injury
for the last six, seven weeks.
I've not been training.
Then taking an injection,
a pain-killing injection just to play.
But, for some reason,
on Saturday I took
The normal routine,
so I took the injection, and then I felt
it hadn't quite worked
'cause my foot was still in a lot of pain.
I'm just going to leave the second leg
and, fingers crossed, we get to the final.
Give myself a couple of weeks extra
healing time
and then try and be fit for the final.
[dramatic music playing]
[Barnes] What's at stake tonight
is a place in the League One playoff final
at Wembley.
The prize then
is a place back in the Championship,
so it's a big night for both teams,
both clubs.
[announcer] Welcome to Fratton Park.
Please be advised
[Stewart] I think this is the most nervous
I've ever been at any football match.
This is going to be tough.
It's going to be blood, thunder, and guts,
and, um, we've just got to stay strong.
[crowd buzzes]
[Barnes] Ironically, the draws they've had
this season could hold them
in very good stead.
The one thing they did show
is they're a very difficult team to beat.
And that's what they've got to be tonight.
It's going to be nervous, tense,
but that's one of the beauties
of the playoffs.
[crowd shouting]
[fans yelling and applauding]
[crowd buzzes]
Go on, Georgie.
-Nice.
-Go on!
Go on, Chris.
-[crowd chants]
-[ball thuds]
[crowd oohs]
Fucking hell.
[fans applaud]
-[crowd shouts]
-[Stewart] Come on, referee!
-[shouting continues]
-Come on!
Fucking hell, ref!
[Ian] Dirty bastard.
He fucking laid him out.
[crowd chants]
[fans drumming]
[crowd shouts]
[chanting continues]
[Stewart] However this season's defined,
it's going to be defined
mainly by whether
they get promotion or not.
[shouting continues]
[crowd boos]
[players yelling indistinctly]
[Barnes] Oviedo to head to Leadbitter,
who hooks it over the top!
Maguire's onside.
[intensifies] He lobs it
over the goalkeeper but slips over.
[Stewart screaming] Come on!
-Come on! Come on!
-[fans applaud]
[Barnes] Brown on the left-hand side,
swings in a cross.
[intensifies]
Hawkins' header down, Evans
-What a save by McLaughlin!
-[crowd cheers]
That's a good save.
That's a good save, that is.
[Barnes] Looking for Honeyman.
Trying to get it down to Wyke,
-who stabs it back to Oviedo
-[crowd oohs]
It whistles just over the bar,
an inch or two over.
Gives it to Evans.
Evans trying to find Brown again.
Down the left of the penalty area.
He crosses.
Hawkins' header!
Tipped over the bar by McLaughlin.
-[crowd buzzes]
-[dramatic music continues]
[crowd oohs]
Down the line. Ten seconds.
Down to five seconds.
The referee looks at his watch.
It's a throw to Sunderland
on the left here,
in front of Jack Ross.
How appropriate that will be.
-The full-time whistle's blown
-[crowd erupts]
and Sunderland are through.
Sunderland are through to Wembley.
-[fans screaming]
-They've drawn tonight,
nil-nil, with Portsmouth.
Another draw,
a significant draw,
a massive draw for Sunderland tonight.
[continued cheering]
Come on!
[Stewart] My blood pressure
is through the roof.
I don't think I've taken a breath
for 20 minutes.
-[crowd chants]
-Um
You know, that's what being
a football fan's about.
I was surrounded by them all,
we're all in the same boat.
Everyone's watching their watch
for about 20 minutes.
Time doesn't go very quick.
-[chanting continues]
-But we got there, we got there.
So it's all that matters.
You know, one more game
and we've had just the best season ever.
[mellow music plays then fades]
[seagulls cawing]
[Peter] This Sunday,
it's all or nothing really, isn't it?
But let's hope everybody's wishes
come true.
[mellow music resumes]
[Barnes] I'm superstitious about the fact
it's Charlton Athletic in the final again.
Of all the teams it could've been,
of all the scenarios
that could've panned out this season,
I do think there's something
What would you call it?
Superstitious, hoodoo, whatever.
About the fact it mirrors 1998
and it's Charlton again
in the playoff final.
[Peter] It's like a story.
You know,
it's a perfect story for football.
-[engine revs]
-I was there, I took my two sons.
[camera shutters]
[crowd cheers]
And everybody knows the fact the score
was four each and it went to penalties.
[mellow music intensifies]
[crowd cheers]
[camera shutters]
That's me.
A slightly younger, slimmer version.
That's Michael Gray,
who's missed the penalty,
and that's Niall Quinn
who's consoling him.
And it's just a reminder
of what happened then and
the feelings we had of
losing a a massive game like that.
The one team I wanted,
I wanted to play Charlton. Don't know why.
It doesn't mean we're going to beat them.
I just feel
There was something inside me
wanting to
wanting to play Charlton at Wembley
in a playoff final.
I don't feel as if it's a ghost,
I don't feel as if it's revenge,
I just feel that,
-it just seems right.
-[wheels rattling]
[birds cawing]
[bar patrons] Boo!
[man laughs]
-[patrons continue yelling]
-[woman] Ha'way the lads!
[man] Stop it, Lynne.
[car honks]
She makes it worse.
[Lynne] London King's Cross.
Are you gonna frighten them
It says, "Mind the gap."
Yeah.
-And we're getting closer and closer.
-[Lynne laughs]
[announcer murmurs over intercom]
Can't sit back now! [laughs]
Right, food.
[passengers murmur]
Bakewells and some crisps.
-What's it say on there?
-"Deliver us from League One."
[Lynne laughs] "Deliver us
from League One!"
Father Mark,
prayer for Sunderland's playoff final.
"The Promotion Prayer"! [laughs]
"Strong and faithful God,
as we come together as a city
for this important match
[crowd buzzes]
we ask You to bless our team,
keep them safe from injury and harm
-[crowd murmurs]
-and keep them in respect
for each other.
[dramatic music playing]
And reward them for their perseverance.
-[crowd chants]
-Thank you for the passion
and the loyalty of Sunderland fans.
Grant them peace and joy this Sunday.
[chanting continues]
-[crowd cheers]
-Lead us all to the rewards
of your kingdom
where You live and reign forever and ever.
Amen."
-[drums beating]
-Come on!
-[crowd buzzes]
-[whistle blows]
[Ian] Come on, lads!
[crowd shouting]
[crowd oohs and cheers]
[Eddie] That would've been a good start,
wouldn't it?
[Lynne] Ha'way!
[Barnes] He's got the ball
-[commentator 2] It's a goal! Oh!
-[Barnes] He missed it!
[crowd roars]
-[Barnes] Sunderland score!
-[commentator 2 laughs]
What a bizarre goal that is.
[Barnes] Sunderland take the most bizarre,
-unexpected lead.
-[fans screaming]
[crowd cheering]
-[commentator 2] That was bizarre.
-[Barnes] Sunderland leads a goal to nil
and we're only five minutes in.
Down the line again to Lewis Morgan.
Morgan swings in his cross
-And he leaves it for Leadbitter.
-[crowd shouting]
-Low shot!
-[commentator 2] Oh, what a save.
[fans ooh]
[fans applaud and yell]
[tense music playing]
-[crowd shouts]
-[Barnes] Max Power's down again.
[crowd boos]
[announcer] Substitution,
number 27, Max Power,
replaced by number 17,
Lewis Morgan.
Oh, he's not got that.
[Andrew] Away.
-[fans applaud]
-And again.
Get your shape, lads.
Get your shape.
-Too much space, he's got.
-[fan whistles]
Look at the shape.
The line's not right, man.
[dramatic music intensifies]
[crowd roars]
The line was all wrong, man.
[Barnes] Ben Purrington equalizes,
virtually on the goal line.
[Ian] We were playing everybody onside.
[Barnes] As the referee
looks at his watch.
-[whistle blows]
-Blows for halftime.
[Lynne] I still think we'll do it.
And I just hate this squeaky bum time.
I hate this not knowing.
-I want it to be over and we've won.
-[tense music fades]
I don't want to sit through
this next 45 minutes.
-You okay?
-That was terrible, wasn't it?
-The first 15
-Psychologically, we cannot cope
with being a goal up.
We've turned around,
picked up the gift, and just said,
"Here, have it back."
We've then decided to try and defend
a 1-nil lead for 90 minutes.
-[members murmur]
-That's not going to happen.
-[tense music resumes]
-[crowd cheers]
[Barnes] Andy Madley checks his watch
and waves play away for the second half.
Have you ever seen a side come out
for the second half
and look as unmotivated
as Sunderland looks right now?
They need to get on with it.
Now.
-[players thud]
-[crowd oohs]
[Barnes] Ooh, and a crushing challenge
at the far side.
[Luke] I can remember going up
for the header and then
And then standing up
and having a bit of wobbly legs.
Oh
[fans applaud]
[crowd cheers]
[tense music intensifies]
[whistle blows]
-[Barnes] It's Jonny Williams.
-[indistinct intercom chatter]
[crowd cheers]
There's one player you didn't want
Charlton to bring on.
-Jonny Williams.
-Aye.
Mind you, when he played for us,
always injured.
[Barnes] McGeady's going to come on.
McGeady stripping off.
[fans cheer]
-We need him!
-[fans applaud]
[Lynne] Too much pressure
on Aiden McGeady now.
I really think that's too much pressure
on him.
That's it now, we're done. No more subs.
[commentator 2] Huge buzz
around the Sunderland fans
as soon as Aiden McGeady gets on the ball.
They're desperate for him
to show some of his magic, aren't they?
[Barnes] They know what he's capable of.
Leadbitter into Cattermole.
Into the center circle for Sunderland.
[Juan] Come on, do something.
Come on!
Go on!
[Barnes] McGeady now,
-trying to curl it in the top corner.
-[commentator 2 sighs]
[Barnes] And away behind for a goal kick.
[commentator 2] You can see
what he tried to do. Got too much on it.
[music distorts and slows]
[crowd shouts]
[crowd applauds]
[Barnes] Williams again for Charlton,
trying to get away down the left wing,
down the left touchline.
He's, uh, motoring on.
-He's getting down here, but he's tackled.
-[crowd shouts]
The referee's given it as a free kick
for a foul by O'Nien.
[commentator 2] Another free kick.
-[fans applaud and yell]
-I feel sick.
[Barnes] Purrington keeps it in
on the far side, looking for Parker here.
He's pulled down.
It'll be a free kick, foul by Özturk.
Thirty seconds
of the four left,
but there will be a bit more,
no doubt, now for
Extra time really does loom over us now.
[crowd cheers]
-It's stabbed home.
-[commentator 2] Oh, no!
-[crowd roars]
-[Barnes] Charlton have scored.
Pearce and Bauer between them
have stabbed it home
and there are seconds left.
There's no way back for Sunderland.
Charlton have won this
at the very, very death.
[mellow music playing]
[cheering continues]
[final whistle blows]
[fans whistling]
-[crowd cheering]
-[confetti pops]
[popping continues]
[crowd cheers and applauds]
[cheering swells]
[crowd chanting]
[indistinct intercom chatter]
[Andrew] Been here before, haven't we? Eh?
Been here before.
Let's applaud them off.
Sunderland 'til we die, man.
We're Sunderland 'til we die.
[Andrew claps]
Fucking nearly made it, eh?
Why is it never us celebrating?
Why is it never us?
[crowd applauds]
[Jack] It's a sore way to lose
a football match.
I don't think my players deserved
to lose the game in that manner,
for what they put into the game,
for what they put into the season.
But we have done.
So we congratulate Charlton
and wish them well in their promotion.
Um, we have to dust ourselves down
over the coming weeks,
but now there's a rawness of emotion
that is very sore.
[Lora] You look like you're going to cry.
[members murmur]
-[man] Next season. Cheers.
-[glasses clink]
Cheers, mate. Thanks a lot.
I shook your hand the last time.
-Are we ever going to be good, mate?
-[Stewart] Eh?
Are we ever going to be good?
This is the eighth time we've lost here,
-I'm fucking heartbroken.
-[Stewart] Well, yeah. Yeah.
[fan] I feel like crying in front of you.
[stammers] I don't think I'm any happier
than you are.
Eh? Eh.
[fan] I just want a bit of hope.
Are we going to get there?
[exhales] Well, I'm sure we'll get there,
yeah.
-It doesn't feel like that now, does it?
-[fan] It doesn't.
[Lynne sighs deeply, mutters]
Oh
Other clubs can say this, that,
and the other about it,
but our fans are special.
They don't deserve to keep coming
to Wembley and losing.
[mellow music continues]
[wheels rattling]
[John] Well, two days after we've lost,
I'm still not over it, so.
I've never, ever been as confident
in my life about one game.
So I still can't understand
how we got beat.
And I suppose I'm still in shock
because I thought
[chuckles] I thought we'd do it.
I go back to 21 years ago.
After the Charlton loss,
when we were devastated
the next three or four years
were the best three or four years
in my 30 years here.
[Joyce] In all the 21 years
I've worked here,
I've never seen anybody cry.
And some of them players
were in floods of tears.
I've never, ever seen that side
of them before.
So-- Ever. So it really got to me
-when I saw them.
-But it's going to serve them well.
They'll remember that, they don't want
to be there again. Simple as that.
[Charlie] In the space of 12 months,
the club has gone from losing
£20 million a year
to break even.
This club cannot be in the third division
of English football for three years.
[stammers] That is just not acceptable.
Next season, the club has to win
this title, win this championship,
and do it in a comfortable fashion.
[seagulls cawing]
[Stewart] I think we could've done better.
So I look at that area
of the football club and promise myself
we don't want the following season
to be as bad as this one again.
The football club is the community
and I want to stay here, um,
for a long time.
Um
[stammers] It's a great place to be.
But of course,
I won't outstay my welcome.
The fans will tell me
and I'll stay as long as they want me to.
Apart from my family,
Sunderland's my next love.
And that's it.
[Andrew] We live in an area where
it hasn't got the best-paid jobs.
You know, it's not the richest part
of the United Kingdom
by any stretch of the imagination.
It's life in the North East.
-Football is life.
-[inspiring music playing]
It's what you look forward to
on a Monday.
You look forward to going to the match,
home or away, on the Saturday.
It's life, it really is.
Football in this area
is absolutely massive.
[Peter] Next year, my hope and prayer,
I don't want to be nowhere near
an underground station next year,
next summer.
[inspiring music fades]
I don't want to be in London.
I don't-- [laughs]
I love-- It's a nice place to be,
I just want to see Sunderland
win the league at the Stadium of Light.
End of story. Finished.
[tense music playing]
-["Shipyards" by The Lake Poets plays]
-On the river ♪
Where they used to build the boats ♪
By the harbor wall
The place you loved the most ♪
I can see you there alone ♪
But, oh, you know ♪
I'll be there ♪
Soon ♪
All your life
You worked your fingers to the bone ♪
You worked hard
For every little thing you owned ♪
But you gave away for yours ♪