Dean Ashton baffled by Sunderland moment v Coventry City — ‘Strange’
Dean Ashton slammed Anthony Patterson as Sunderland face Coventry City in the Championship play-offs semi-final on Friday.
Frank Lampard’s team host Regis Le Bris’ side in the first leg on 9 May and looked more dominant in the first half at home.
The West Midlands outfit controlled the proceedings in the opening 45 minutes, but the tie remains 0-0 at the break.
With a nervy start to the game, the Black Cats’ goalkeeper almost made a costly error during the opening minutes of the fixture.
Patterson gets lucky after missing clearance in Coventry v Sunderland
Patterson made a strange decision when he failed to punch a ball clear against Coventry, Ashton says.
The former West Ham United forward was baffled when the 24-year-old shot-stopper handed the hosts a possible opportunity after coming out to clear the ball.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals conceded | Clean sheets |
| Championship | 42 | 42 | 14 |
Ashton slammed the English goalkeeper for his technique and believes he got lucky since the ball didn’t fall to a player wearing a sky blue shirt.
Speaking on talkSPORT (9 May, 20:05), the ex-forward said: “It’s such a strange decision. And also the technique he came up with, Patterson. Just flapping like a kid trying to practice a dive. Just never got his legs up in the air. Just flapped at it. Took a real whack. He’s hobbling. Got very lucky it didn’t just land to Asante, who should’ve scooped it in.”
Le Bris needs to beat Lampard
Le Bris needs to beat Lampard as the Black Cats look to get back into the Premier League after several years of absence.
The Wearside outfit did well to make the play-offs, but they aren’t coming into it in great form, having lost their last five Championship fixtures.
Coventry turned their season around after the former Chelsea boss’ arrival, and they’ve posed a threat in the opening 45 minutes.
Sunderland fans will be disappointed if Le Bris wastes all the work they’ve done throughout the campaign in the final stretch.
While the Black Cats haven’t been at their best in recent weeks, they need to forget about all that and put in an impressive performance in CV6.
The second leg is in the Stadium of Light, which may give Le Bris’ team an advantage, but they’ve first got to get the job done in the second half against Lampard’s team.
The Wearside outfit didn’t threaten the Sky Blues much in the first half, which needs to change after the break.
Patterson also needs to ensure he doesn’t make any costly errors at the Coventry Building Society Arena.