Capital One Cup run will give Sunderland new belief when they need it most.
Gary Bennett believes Sunderland’s dramatic penalty shoot-out win at Old Trafford can propel them out of the relegation zone.
Not only that, the former Black Cats defender insists that it’s hot favourites Manchester City who should be running scared in the Capital One Cup Final, not Gus Poyet’s men.
Bennett was on the losing side on the last two occasions Sunderland reached a domestic cup final in 1985 and 1992 but he is convinced that the
current squad can do to City what they’ve already done to Manchester United and Chelsea.
“I don’t think City would have wanted to play us, especially if we get the home dressing-room at Wembley!” he says.
“On the last four occasions City have been to the Stadium of Light, we’ve beaten them. Being realistic, they are strong favourites and will have to have an off day, while we’ll need to have a very good day.
“People will expect them to win by four or five because that’s what they’ve been doing, but we’ll look forward to being the underdogs.
“This team will go to Wembley thinking they will win. And anything can happen, as Wigan showed in the FA Cup last season. That result is bound to be on the City players’ minds.
“Don’t forget this club was massive underdogs when we played Leeds in the 1973 FA Cup Final and the players that day turned form on its head.
“I’m on the committee of the club’s Former Players Association and I’m very close to the guys from ’73 and I know how remarkable that achievement was.
“I never managed to win at Wembley we expected to beat Norwich in the League Cup, maybe not Liverpool in the FA Cup and I went as a fan when we lost the Play-off Final in 1998 on penalties.
“It will be a great day for me because although I’m definitely a Sunderland fan, I was born in Manchester and grew up supporting City.
“They gave me my break. I was there for two-and-a-half years before moving to Cardiff. My brother Dave played for them in the 1981 FA Cup Final against Tottenham.”
In ’85, Sunderland were comfortably in mid-table going into the League Cup Final but won only one of their 12 games following the 1-0 defeat by Norwich and went down.
“It all went pear-shaped after the Final,” Bennett recalls.
“Our League form went out of the window. This time I expect the opposite to happen. I think reaching the Final will have a positive effect.
“The run to Wembley has already helped League form and you can see that the players have confidence again. Wembley is a nice day out for the city but I’m sure Gus has the players firmly focused on the Stoke game on Wednesday.
“It’s a huge game. Win that and they could move two or three places up the League.”
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