Promotion would vindicate Black Cats plan - Speakman

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman says promotion to the Premier League would vindicate their focus on youth.

The Black Cats are preparing for the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley on Saturday (15:01 BST).

Of their starting XI in the second leg of the semi-final against Coventry City, just two players were aged over 25.

Five of the 20 players in the squad came through the club's academy, led by Dan Neil and Chris Rigg.

"The most satisfying thing would be achieving it, doing it the way we believe it should have been done," Speakman told BBC's Look North.

"That is very important because then we've lived and breathed our culture."

The club's Academy of Light has had some notable graduates down the years, including former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and current England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

This year, Rigg, still not 18 until next month, was named best young player in the Championship along with team-mate Jobe Bellingham, still only 19.

The younger brother of England and Real Madrid superstar Jude, Bellingham represents the plan of bringing other young players to the Stadium of Light to develop and embed into the team.

Speakman moved into his role at Sunderland in 2020 from Birmingham City when the Wearside club was still in League One.

He has seen the Black Cats recover from four seasons in the third tier to reach this position with the Premier League within touching distance.

"The journey over the last five years has been a difficult one," he said. "It hasn't been linear in of how our progress has gone.

"We've lived and breathed what we feel our strategy should be and some of those really important principles.

"One of those is the integration of young players. So if we are able to win, it would be a spectacular moment."