Wembley has proven to be a constantly cruel place for Sunderland and the trend continued on Sunday in the League One play-off final. 

Despite taking an early lead through a freak Naby Sarr own goal, Lee Bowyer's side always looked the better side and got their deserved win, with Patrick Bauer netting a winner deep into second-half stoppage time after Ben Purrington had levelled things.

For many fans, this was expected to be a one-season stop in the third tier but it has proven a tricky season, with Luton Town and Barnsley storming to automatic promotion whilst Jack Ross' side stuttered at a vital stage of the campaign.

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Whilst the Black Cats were solid in their semi-final clashes with Portsmouth they were always lacking any real nous in attack.

And soon after the final whistle sounded at Wembley, many of the Sunderland contingent turned their rage on the club, demanding that Jack Ross be sacked after failing to win promotion - criticising his style of play too.

It could perhaps be viewed as harsh, considering the rebuilding job that Ross was faced with when arriving at the Stadium of Light but after what they had witnessed over the past few campaigns, you cannot blame them for wanting to see a bit of success at the end of this one.

But the powers that be at the North East club refused to bow to the pressure from the fans and owner Stewart Donald publicly gave Ross his backing, in an interview with Talksport, as the club prepared for the summer.

And it was comfortably the best decision that could have been made.

A huge part of their downfall from the Premier League to the third-tier was their trigger-happy and rash approach to hiring and firing managers - sacking Ross would have purely indicated a return to that approach.

The Scot has a lot to improve on in the 2019/20 season, but he more than deserves the chance to do just that.

It is worth remembering that he is not an experienced manager, with last season being just his fourth in charge of a professional side.

It is an appointment that was done with the long-term in mind and keeping him on board keeps them progressing along the right path.