Bellingham gave quite the interview, saying he was proud of his fellow players and said Sunderland’s young squad had the grit for promotion.

Despite a rough patch of five consecutive league losses, the Black Cats showed resilience, overcoming Frank Lampard’s Coventry in the semi-finals and clinching a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sheffield United in the playoff final, thanks to a 95th-minute winner from academy graduate Tom Watson.

Manager Regis Le Bris’ faith in his youthful core — Watson (19), Bellingham (19), Chris Rigg (17), and Eliezer Mayenda (20) and others paid off, silencing critics who questioned their experience with a performance that spoke volumes on the pitch.

“I always believed, you have to believe.

“When you’ve got supporters like this and a group of lads like that, you always have to believe.

“I always believed and I know people doubted us and that’s understandable, we lost a few games, people talk about momentum.

“But I think we did enough, we showed enough throughout the season for people to at least give us some credit going into the play-offs.

“The typical “inexperienced” by all the ex-pros that speak on Sky but we’ve just proved that don’t matter.

“You need experience, of course, with youth like at Sunderland you play loads of games you get that experience.

“You get experience by failing and we failed together so many times and in the end we come good.”

Sky pundits Curtis Davies and Jobi McAnuff then probed Bellingham on what ex-pro had been criticising them.

“I didn’t say criticising!”

“I’ve been part of this great team so every player has made a name for themselves here. So really proud.”

Meanwhile, Sky Sports’ apologise after an x-rated post-match interview with Sunderland hero Tommy Watson. The Black Cats returned to the Premier League in dramatic fashion after the 19-year-old’s stoppage-time winner against Sheffield United.

An emotional Watson spoke to Sky Sports, but let his emotions spill over with an x-rated remark. “I think my celebration said it all, I can’t really put it into words to be honest, just look around us,”

“It’s f***ing…unbelievable.”

Sky Sports cut that out of the shortened clip posted on social media.

They left in “We will see each other in the Premier League next year”

The interviewer was forced to intervene midway through the interview to apologise for Watson’s language.

“We must apologise for the language that you’ve used, we understand that you are emotional,”

“I have been thinking about it for weeks, I think it was written, the story was written when I got off the bench. “I couldn’t have pictured it any better to be honest.

“I got closed down and I just saw a little gap and I just used the defender and put it in the bottom corner.”

Sky Sports have decide not to post the full version of Watson’s post-match interview onto YouTube.

Sunderland’s Play-off final hero Tom Watson speaks about his promotion-clinching goal 📈⚽️ pic.twitter.com/RznUi4gYyK

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 24, 2025

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: I’m glad he touched upon some of the anti #SAFC bias on Sky Sports this season. It’s one of the reasons I cancelled that part of the contract.

: Jobe buries Sky Sports 🤣🤣. #SAFC #TilTheEnd

: Go on Jobe, sticking it to the sky pundits 👏👏👏

: jobe bellingham sticking it ex-pros on sky has sent me 😭

: Jobe Bellingham called out Sky Sports’ pundits on Sky Sports… Love it! 😀😀

: Jobe Bellingham calling out pundits 🤣 not a great week for Sky Sports uh? 😭 Basically pundits have been calling Sunderland out for being too young and not experienced enough 👀 he didn’t name anyone but got the panel shook 😂

: Loved how he called out your commentators – always anti Sunderland

Kian-Jay Weedon: One of very few players calling out ex pros.. need more of it!

Jonathan Fothergill: Don Goodmans blatent anti Sunland commentary throughout was disgusting. Well called out Jobe and let’s have another Netflix episode now!

Stephanie Macdonald: Yous didnt give these lads a licking of a dog today or any time!! Yous are a disgrace there commentary…. Well said jobe …. In your interview what yous have cut short… on here DISGUSTING!!!!

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