Sunderland got the job done 'in comfort' says Alex Neil, as Black Cats book play-off place

Alex Neil says Sunderland booked their play-off place 'in comfort' as they saw off Morecambe on the final day of the season. Nathan Broadhead scored the only goal of the game early in the match at the Mazuma Stadium, although the final scoreline did not reflect the Black Cats' dominance.

The win meant that Sunderland earned a top six finish under their own steam, rather than having to rely on results elsewhere, and they finished fifth in the table which means they will play fourth-placed Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final, with the first leg at the Stadium of Light on Friday. The stakes were also high for Morecambe as they knew that they could secure survival in League One with a win, but even though they ended up empty-handed there was a celebratory mood around the ground at full-time as Gillingham's defeat at the hands of Rotherham meant that the Shrimps will stay in the third tier.

"We got the job done and we got it done in comfort, really," said Neil. "We should have finished it off in the second half when we had a couple of great chances, and I don't think Patto [goalkeeper Anthony Patterson] had a save to make so it was another clean sheet which was great.

"We know we can perform better, but today was about getting the job done and making sure we were in the play-offs. We needed to make sure that we won the game.

"It was a tough game. It was scrappy in bits. Our goal was excellent, we had a couple of transitions that we should have made better use of, but it's understandable with what's at stake.

"They're fighting for their lives, we were fighting to get into the play-offs and the importance of the match was crucial."

Sunderland were always favourites going into the game but Neil insists they could not