Alex Neil reveals what he needs from his Sunderland squad ahead of Sheffield Wednesday play-off tie

After finishing fifth in the league this season, Sunderland face their first play-off game tonight against Sheffield Wednesday. 

The game is the first of two legs in a bid to make it to the play-off final in the hope of achieving promotion to the Championship.

The Black Cats play their first leg at home and will be hoping to their impressive support can spur them on to victory this evening.

However, boss Alex Neil also feels as though the strength of character in his side is important and has called upon the experienced players in his side to step up as he told the Chronicle: “A changing room is different to any other workplace you’ll ever find. When the chips are down, people look for strength.

“Not strength in terms of who’s the biggest, but strength of character and that’s why your experienced players are so important. If they are robust, if they have got belief, if they’re got a never-say-die attitude, it bleeds into the younger lads.

“A lot of the younger lads don’t have a lot of fear, because it’s not something they have experienced before. They go into it with a natural exuberance, which is great.

“We’ve got some experienced lads that we need to lean, the ones who have been there, seen it, and done it and who have played at good levels for large parts of their careers. We’ve also got some younger lads who are still trying to find their way in the game so naturally they will not be as emotionally developed as some of the senior lads.

“You need that blend and that mix, and I feel we have that. I’m really confident in terms of the characters I’ve got in my group and where they are in their careers and what I think they can offer.”

However, Neil says it’s not just the senior players with strong leadership as he