Mendonca: I beat my boyhood heroes then got distraught Micky Gray a pint

As Tommy Rowe sent Doncaster Rovers’ final spotkick wide of the post - sealing Charlton Athletic’s place in the League One play-off final - one man was faced with a dilemma.

For while Clive Mendonca is a boyhood Sunderland fan, raised in the area, it was with the Addicks that he enjoyed his most fruitful spell as a player - which included that infamous day at Wembley in 1998.

The striker netted a hattrick as Charlton and Sunderland played out a 4-4 draw in the Division One play-off final.

Mendonca went on to net his penalty before Micky Gray missed from the spot, ensuring the Addicks sealed promotion to the top flight.

And if his loyalties were torn on that day, they look set to be again when the pair faceoff for promotion from League One this weekend.

But while he may be a terrace favourite at the Valley, his inner loyalties undoubtedly lie with the Black Cats.

“When I was five, my mum bought me a Sunderland strip and a pair of boots and I remember on Christmas morning getting up in the freezing cold, getting my kit on and going outside to play football,” said Mendonca, in an interview with the Charlton matchday programme in January, when the two clubs last met.

“I used to go down and watch Sunderland as a kid. Money was tight but I had a few mates who knew relatives of players so it was a matter of getting some free tickets now and then.

“Whenever I had the chance or money, I’d go down to Roker Park and watch Sunderland.

“To tell the truth, the estate I lived on in the 1980s wasn’t the best and I could’ve signed for Sunderland if I wanted to.

“But a lot of my mates at the time were getting in trouble so I had to get away.”

That desire to get away took Mendonca first to Sheffield United, with spells at Doncaster Rovers, Rotherham United and Grimsby Town preceding his time at Charlton.

He joined the Addicks in 1997 and, within a year, had fired them into the Premier League at the expense of his boyhood club.

And while his teammates celebrated, Mendonca took a more calculated approach to toasting victory - albeit partly due to fatigue.

“I was physically absolutely wrecked,” he said.

“All the lads with the suits on and all the players were jumping. I would have pulled my hamstring or calf if I went out and celebrated.

“The first one to come up to me was Peter Reid.

“I was dying to say ‘you