Gus Poyet reveals Sunderland AFC situation that "scared" him as huge Coventry City clash looms | OneFootball

Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has revealed that he was concerned about the Black Cats' form heading into the play-offs.

Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has admitted that he was concerned by the Black Cats' poor form heading into the Championship play-offs.

Sunderland spent the entire second half of the season sitting fourth in the table, and with little chance of achieving automatic promotion or dropping out of the top six, they found themselves going through the motions in the final few months of the campaign.

The Black Cats failed to win any of their final six league games, suffering five consecutive defeats to end the season, and the goals also dried up, with Regis Le Bris' men finding the back of the net on just one occasion during their winless run.

That led to question marks over whether Sunderland would be able to suddenly reignite their form in time for the play-offs, but the Wearside outfit certainly silenced the doubters as they produced a perfect away performance to beat Coventry City 2-1 in the semi-final first leg at the CBS Arena on Friday night.

Wilson Isidor gave the Black Cats the lead in the 68th minute before Jack Rudoni equalised almost immediately for the Sky Blues, and with the game looking like it was heading for a draw, Eliezer Mayenda capitalised on a mistake by Milan van Ewijk and slotted home to give his side a crucial advantage ahead of Tuesday night's second leg at the Stadium of Light.

Gus Poyet reveals Sunderland worry ahead of big Coventry City clash

Poyet admitted that Sunderland's dismal form towards the end of the season worried him going into the play-offs, and he offered advice to the Black Cats squad ahead of the second leg against Coventry, urging them to continue doing what they have done throughout the campaign.

"Be yourself. Play how we have played the whole year. Obviously, we had that really bad run of form at the end of the Championship. That scared me a little bit," Poyet told Mackem News.

"So, yes, I was a little bit tense before the game. But I was delighted with the win because it was a bad run prior. It was a really bad run at the end of the season. But something needed to click, and they went, and they’ve done it. And now, it’s to be yourself.

"Like I said, be you. Don’t change anything. Play the game like we played the whole season. Do what you have to do. You know what you do best; that would be a good message to every player. What you do best, and we’re going to be okay.

"The atmosphere is going to be spectacular. But, careful, eh? With Coventry, careful, eh? Because it’s a team that has improved a lot. So, we need to play the game properly."

Regis Le Bris should listen to Gus Poyet, Sunderland advice

Given their poor end of season form, few gave Sunderland much of a chance against Coventry on Friday night, but while their surprise victory at the CBS Arena was an unexpected bonus, the tie is still far from over.

The Sky Blues were not at their best in the first leg, but Frank Lampard's men are certainly capable of turning the game around, and the Midlands outfit have had a decent record at the Stadium of Light in recent years, avoiding defeat on each of their previous three trips to Wearside.

However, the fact that Coventry need to come out and chase the game could suit Sunderland perfectly, allowing them to play on the counter and exploit the space left by the visitors, so Poyet is right that Le Bris should not look to change a game plan that has worked so well for his side for much of the season.