Worldwide Pleasant: Denmark v Northern Eire
Venue: Parken Stadium, Copenhagen Date: Saturday, 7 June Kick-off: 18:00 BST
Protection: Watch reside on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI, hear on BBC Sounds and comply with reside textual content commentary & in-play clips on the BBC Sport web site
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After years of arduous work, Daniel Ballard and Trai Hume are set to change into Premier League gamers in August.
The Northern Eire team-mates performed a key function as Sunderland ended their six-year hiatus from the highest flight with a dramatic Championship play-off win at Wembley.
Enjoying within the Premier League is a life-long aim for each gamers, however each arrived at their present level by means of very totally different means.
Defender Ballard got here by means of the ‘conventional’ path, by working his method by means of Arsenal’s academy.
He did not make a senior look for the Gunners however plenty of mortgage spells introduced him to the eye of Sunderland in 2022.
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Hume’s path, however, meant he needed to bide his time for an opportunity.
When ambitions to maneuver to England failed to come back to fruition on the age of 16, he performed within the Irish League in Northern Eire with Linfield and Ballymena United, the place the publicity to senior soccer at a younger age definitely helped develop the combative participant Sunderland followers have come to like.
If supporters did not know his title when he arrived for in January 2022, they definitely do now.
“My journey might be quite a bit totally different to lots of people,” admitted Hume.
“I missed out on going throughout the water at 16 years of age. I did not get picked by plenty of golf equipment and was instructed I wasn’t prepared, and issues like that.”
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Hume mentioned he “labored my socks off” to earn a transfer to England, and he is been on Sunderland’s journey from League One to the Premier League.
“I wish to assume I deserve the chance that I’ve received,” he added.
“After I first moved to Sunderland they gave me time to adapt and prepare, and after I was able to play I had my likelihood and fortunately took it. Now I’m the place I’m, and I need to carry on pushing.”
Ballard mentioned “it is all the way down to the person plenty of the time” after he joined the academy at Arsenal as an eight-year-old.
“At Arsenal, from the skin it is most likely the right method to be introduced up,” he added.
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“However then plenty of gamers get misplaced in that system and Trai is a good instance of coming by means of at a membership that did not have the identical services, but it surely simply reveals that it comes all the way down to the person.
“It’s important to put the work in your self. No quantity of services of coaches at that younger age are going to show you into an excellent participant.”
Hume ‘loves the membership’ and ‘joyful the place I am at’
After impressing all through Sunderland’s marketing campaign, Hume has been linked with a transfer away from the Stadium of Mild, with Wolves, Everton and plenty of European golf equipment reportedly wanting on the 23-year-old.
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Nonetheless, Hume is joyful at Sunderland and if something occurs “it is from the membership”.
“I’ve mentioned it ever since I moved to Sunderland, I actually love my soccer right here,” he admitted.
“I really like enjoying. I really like the membership, I am joyful the place I am at and if something occurs it is from the membership.
“I really like enjoying for Sunderland so I am joyful being there.”
That reference to the membership and its supporters would solely have been enhanced on a fairytale promotion run.
Ballard scored a last-gasp header within the second leg of the semi-final in opposition to Coventry, which was the profitable aim on combination and booked Sunderland’s place at Wembley.
Limbs. Dan Ballard’s late aim in opposition to Coventry will go down as some of the dramatic moments in Championship play-off historical past [Getty Images]
The celebrations may solely be described as pandemonium as Ballard whipped off his shirt earlier than being mobbed by his team-mates.
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“I believe it was spur of the second factor,” he mentioned with a smile.
“As I child I had dreamed of that celebration, however you may by no means actually do it as a centre-back in any other case you will get a reserving. I believe that was the one alternative I may get as the sport was completed.
“You might really feel it within the stadium as they had been two actually powerful video games in opposition to Coventry. I believe it was reduction greater than something and it was fairly emotional to see the best way the followers reacted.”
There was extra pleasure to come back as substitute Tom Watson scored an injury-time winner in opposition to Sheffield United because the Black Cats gained promotion in essentially the most dramatic of circumstances.
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Ballard mentioned that made his semi-final aim “much more particular”, and Hume added the drama made “it extra emotional and extra candy”.
“We did not dominate each video games, we needed to dig in and we needed to keep sturdy as a group and stick collectively,” added Hume.
“Personally, that is the best way I wish to win video games. I love to do it collectively as a group and it’s important to work arduous to earn that.
“We labored as arduous as we may, and to get these two late targets there was reduction, pleasure and all of the feelings you may consider actually.”
