“He’s Back! Coventry City Star Set for Shocking Return to Face Former Club in High-Stakes Play-Off
Coventry City’s Ben Wilson Excited for Return to Sunderland in Play-Off Semi-Final
Coventry City goalkeeper Ben Wilson has expressed his excitement ahead of Tuesday’s Championship play-off semi-final second leg against Sunderland, calling the return to his boyhood club “amazing.”
The 32-year-old began his football journey at Sunderland but left without making a senior appearance. This season, he’s featured four times in the league for Coventry, recently returning from a knee injury to start in the crucial 2-0 win over Middlesbrough last Saturday—his first appearance since October.
Wilson’s strong performance in that match appears to have secured his place as the first-choice goalkeeper for the play-offs.
The former Sunderland youth product is now looking forward to the North East clash.
Wilson’s Thoughts on Facing Sunderland
Speaking about the opportunity to face the club he grew up supporting, Wilson said: “I’ll take that! A chance to breathe in some northern air—that’ll be nice. I’m excited for it. It’s another important game.”
He added: “We believe we can do something special. We can’t afford any negativity now.
We’ve been positive all season, climbing from 17th to 5th. Injured players are returning, which will give us a boost, but even the current squad is more than capable of getting the job done.”
When asked if Sunderland was a dream opponent for the semi-final, Wilson responded: “Yeah, I’d rather face them now than in the final. It’s fantastic to go back there.
They’ll visit us first, and it’ll be a great match. I’m fully behind Coventry now and will be cheering for the Sky Blues over the two legs.”
Wilson also shared that his phone has been buzzing with messages from friends and family after the fixture was confirmed, many of whom are Sunderland supporters.
“They’ll be in the away end at our place,” he said. “I’ve had a bit of banter from mates who support Sunderland, but it’s all in good fun.
We need to get through, reach the final, and then anything can happen.”
Looking ahead to potentially playing at the Stadium of Light for the first time as a senior player, Wilson said: “I’ve only played there with Sunderland’s U23s, so this will be an incredible experience.
The pressure against Boro was intense, but I think I did well enough to feel confident going into the next two games.”
