Punter wins thousands on outrageous Sunderland vs Coventry City bet and it’s the best of the season

Sunderland found the most spectacular route possible into the Championship play-off final and they put a smile on one lucky punter's face too.

The Black Cats will face Sheffield United at Wembley in the richest game in English football with a place in the Premier League on the line.

After winning the first leg of their semi-final at Coventry City, Regis Le Bris' side were taken to extra time by a late Ephron Mason-Clark goal for Frank Lampard's Sky Blues.

Sunderland won it in extra time, and what a way to win it!

In the second minute of time added on, with penalties at the forefront of everybody's minds at the Stadium of Light, one last corner kick made all the difference.

The winning goal will be remembered on Wearside forever.

At least one lucky football fan will remember it in Essex too, thanks to a 525/1 bet that landed him more than £5,000 in stoppage time.

X user @Jackconner_ got halfway to his mini-fortune when the corner was delivered to a poorly marked Dan Ballard.

After 120 minutes of rising tall to head every ball the Sky Blues could throw at him, 25-year-old defender Ballard had to stoop to meet this one, powering an unorthodox header in off the Coventry crossbar to win the tie with the last touch before penalties.

Are you proud? @CaardBets pic.twitter.com/r2rbrZddkA

— JC (@Jackconner_) May 13, 2025

The ambitious double backed Ballard to score in extra time and the former Arsenal youth player's celebration took care of the rest, earning him the extra-time yellow card that landed @Jackconner_ a win he'll enjoy as much as the Black Cats enjoyed booking their spot at Wembley.

Le Bris and Sunderland finished fourth in the Championship but ended the season in poor form, upsetting the odds with their first-leg win at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

The 49-year-old Frenchman is in his first season in England after leaving Lorient last summer.

He's aiming to take Sunderland back to the Premier League for the first time since their consecutive relegations from the top tier to the third between 2017 and 2018.

They spent the next four years in League One and are 90 minutes away from completing their lengthy return to the top division.