ALEX Neil says his former side Sunderland have done "great" to finish in the top six and has wished the Black Cats well for the play-offs.

Neil led Sunderland to League One promotion 12 months ago before leaving the Stadium of Light for Stoke City early this season.

And although his exit angered many fans on Wearside, Neil says he's still on good terms with a lot of staff members at the club and hailed his successor Tony Mowbray for the job he's don, very much against the odds considering the injury situation.

“They’ve done great, haven’t they?," said Neil.

"They’re in the play-offs. You’ve got to give them all the credit they deserve.

“There are a lot of people there who I’ve got a big affinity with having experienced a promotion together, and naturally we have good relationships so I wish them all the best for the play-offs.”

While his former side have gone on to enjoy a brilliant first campaign back in the second tier under Mowbray, Stoke struggled to a 16th place finish, despite being one of many teams aiming for promotion at the start of the season.

Having joined the Potters in August, though, Neil saw this term as transitional and hit back at claims that his side have missed an opportunity at the top end of the table.

Sunderland managed to sneak into the play-offs on a dramatic final day, finishing sixth on 69 points. That 46-game points tally is lower than the 75 Luton picked up to finish sixth last year and 77 sixth-placed Bournemouth finished with the season before.

But Neil disagreed with any suggestion that the Championship was weaker than it usually is this season and believes the clubs challenging at the top end of the table have, on the whole, benefited from having a long term plan.

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As for Sunderland, he says Mowbray's young side have been fearless.

“I don’t think it does (strike him as missed opportunity for Stoke)," Neil told Stoke-on-Trent Live.

"That’s a misconception.

"The truth is that the teams at the top of the table have been building something for three, four, five seasons. If you look at Luton, they have had the core of their players together for about four years. You could say the same about Millwall and you could say the same about Coventry, those lads have been together.

“Sunderland to a certain extent. What they’ve got is a young, hungry team that just want to go and get after everyone with no fear and don’t think about anything other than trying to win their next game. We’re not there yet.”