Montgomery backs Black Cats to become Wembley heroes

Former Sunderland star Jim Montgomery is calling on the Black Cats to make it to Wembley.

Sunderland legend Jim Montgomery has urged Gus Poyet’s players to go to Old Trafford on Wednesday and become heroes.

The Black Cats are within touching distance of the Capital One Cup Final after a dramatic 2-1 victory in the first leg against Manchester United.

And Monty wants the team to put aside the threat of relegation and create history for themselves just like he did in 1973.

“I’m a big believer in going all out for the cups because I don’t see anything negative in winning,” he says.

“I know some managers field weakened teams in the knock-out competitions because they fear the extra fixtures damage their chances of staying up, but I think it’s the reverse.

“There’s nothing better than winning to restore team spirit and give everyone around the club a lift. It seems that Gus also thinks that way, because he’s fielded strong teams in all the cup ties.

“I’ve seen a big lift from beating good teams like Chelsea and United in the Capital One Cup and if we were to get a good result next Wednesday, I think the prospect of a Wembley Final would help us beat the drop, not hinder us.

“It would be just brilliant for this club to win silverware again, and it probably hasn’t dawned on the players just what it would mean to the supporters. The only trophies most clubs in the Premier League can win are the domestic cups. I don’t understand why not all take them seriously.

“People still talk to me about our FA Cup win more than 40 years later. If this set of players pulled off something similar, they’d be idolised here. And we can do it. Gus has begun to sort out those players he wants in the trenches with him and provided we go for it, we can get to Wembley.

“United have been going through a tough spell and we shouldn’t go there with any fear. We have to be positive. We can’t afford to sit back on the one-goal advantage.”

Montgomery believes the key to Sunderland booking a place in the Final lies with ex-United players Wes Brown and John O’Shea.

“They are our two most-important players at the moment,” Jim goes on. “They’ve been immense over the last few weeks and we desperately need to keep them fit and available. Every good team needs a pair of strong centre-backs, and that winning mentality they developed at United has been a big factor in us getting better results.

“You can also tell they’ve been brought up the right way, too. They’re great professionals. Gus can build a team around those two.

“I’ll be in the Directors’ Box on Wednesday, trying not to get carried away. I’m a supporter now and it will mean as much to me as anyone if we go through.”