Wearsiders’ play-off heartache must surely end some time...

WILL it be lucky seven for Sunderland? The Black Cats’ play-off misery has to end some time, and they have failed in all six of their previous play-off attempts.

Here is our rundown of the club’s previous play-off experiences.

Sunday, May 17, 1987 Sunderland 4-3 Gillingham aet (6-6 on aggregate, Gillingham win on away goals)

THE original play-off heartbreak.

This was the season that the play-offs were introduced in the Football League, and the original format saw the three teams that finished outside the automatic promotion places in the division below compete with the side that finished immediately above the relegation zone in the division above, in the two-leg semi-finals.

There was no trip to Wembley in those days, with the final also played over two legs.

Sunderland finished third-bottom of the second tier, and played Gillingham – who had finished fifth in the third tier – in one semi-final, with Wigan and Swindon Town contesting the other. Lawrie Mcmenemy’s moonlight flit meant that 1973 FA Cup-winning manager Bob Stokoe was at the helm.

The first leg at the Priestfield Stadium had ended in a 3-2 victory for Gillingham. In the second leg at Roker Park, Howard Pritchard put Gillingham in front and 4-2 up on aggregate, but Eric Gates scored twice to level the tie.

Tony Cascarino put the visitors back in front on aggregate before Gary Bennett headed home a couple of minutes from time to send the tie into extra time.

Cascarino scored again before Keith Bertschin found the net for the Rokermen. That made it 4-3 to Sunderland on the day, 6-6 on aggregate, meaning the Gills won on away goals and sent Sunderland down to what was then known as the Third Division for the first time.

SAFC: Hesford, Lemon, Kennedy (Corner 77), Doyle, Gray, Bennett, Armstrong, Proctor, Bertschin, Swindlehurst, Gates.

Monday, May 28, 1990 Sunderland 0-1 Swindon Town

THE play-offs had now taken their current form, contested by the four teams immediately below the automatic promotion places and with a Wembley final.

The first leg of Sunderland’s semi-final against old foes Newcastle ended goalless at Roker Park, with Paul Hardyman seeing an injury-time penalty saved by Newcastle’s John Burridge – and Hardyman then being sent off for a foul on the keeper. And in the second leg at St James’ Park, Eric Gates scored early with Marco Gabbiadini adding a second late in the game. The home fans invaded the pitch in the hope of getting the game abandoned, but to no avail.

Swindon beat Sunderland 1-0 in the final, but Sunderland had the last laugh as Swindon were later demoted two divisions – reduced to one on appeal – for financial irregularities, and the Wearsiders were promoted in any event.

SAFC: Norman, Kay, Agboola, Bracewell, Bennett, Macphail, Owers, Armstrong, Gates (Hauser 71), Gabbiadini, Pascoe (Atkinson 69).

Monday, May 25, 1998 Charlton Athletic 4-4 Sunderland (Charlton win 7-6 on penalties)

ONE of the most exciting games ever seen at Wembley, this was thrill-a-minute stuff – just with the wrong outcome for Sunderland.

Sunderland-born Clive Mendonca gave Charlton the lead midway through the first half, but goals from Niall Quinn and Phillips turned things around before the hour.

Mendonca levelled 20 minutes from time, before Quinn put Sunderland back in front within minutes – only for Richard Rufus to level five minutes from time and send the game into extra time. Nicky Summerbee put Sunderland ahead for a third time in the 99th minute, but Mendonca levelled things up five minutes later.

The game went to a penalty shoot-out and, after 10 perfect penalties, to sudden death. Mickey Gray was the unlucky one, seeing his spot-kick saved by Sasa Ilic.

SAFC: Perez, Holloway (Makin 46), Gray, Clark (Rae 100), Craddock, Williams, Summerbee, Ball, Quinn, Phillips (Dichio 73), Johnston.

Monday, May 17, 2004 Sunderland 2-1 Crystal Palace aet (aggregate 4-4, Crystal Palace win 5-4 on penalties)

MICK Mccarthy was in charge on Wearside and was looking to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Sunderland were pitted against Crystal Palace in the semi-final.

The first leg ended in a 3-2 defeat at Selhurst Park. In the second leg at the Stadium of Light, Kevin Kyle and Marcus Stewart scored in the first half with Darren Powell pulling one back in the 90th minute to level the scores on aggregate and send the game into extra time. With no further goal, it went to penalties.

Sunderland’s John Oster missed the first penalty and Palace’s Shaun Derry missed when he could have won the shoot-out 5-4. It went to sudden-death and Jason Mcateer missed, only for Wayne Routledge to see his spot-kick saved by Mart Poom. Jeff Whitley’s weak effort was then saved, and that allowed Michael Hughes to win it for the visitors.

SAFC: Poom, Bjorklund (Williams 105), Mccartney, Whitley, Breen,

Babb, Thornton (Robinson 69), Mcateer, Kyle, Stewart (Smith 84), Oster.

Sunday, May 26, 2019 Charlton Athletic 2-1 Sunderland

Back-to-back relegations had seen Sunderland sink into League One, but under Jack Ross they had the chance of an immediate return to the Championship.

Sunderland made the perfect start when a mistake by Addicks keeper Dillon Phillips meant that Naby Sarr’s routine backpass ended up in the net after only five minutes.

Ben Purrington levelled ten minutes before the break, and just as it looked as though the game would go into extra time, Patrick Bauer scored the winner four minutes into injury time. SAFC: Mclaughlin, O’nien, Oviedo, Leadbitter, Ozturk, Flanagan, Maguire (Grigg 57), Cattermole, Wyke (Mcgeady 72), Power (Morgan 9), Honeyman.

Saturday, May 22, 2021 Sunderland 2-1 Lincoln City (Lincoln City win 3-2 on aggregate)

LEE Johnson had taken over at the beginning of December and he steered the Black Cats to a fourth-placed finish in League One, which meant they faced Lincoln in the semi-finals.

Sunderland did not turn up for the first leg, with Lincoln winning 2-0 at Sincil Bank.

With a little over half-an-hour gone on Wearside goals from Ross Stewart and Charlie Wyke had levelled the tie.

Tom Hopper pulled a goal back in the second half, and Lee Burge saved a penalty from Jorge Grant as the game finished 2-1 and that was good enough for Lincoln to progress.

SAFC: Burge, Gooch (Flanagan 90), Mcfadzean, Leadbitter, Wright, O’nien, Maguire (Diamond 65), Scowen (Winchester 78), Wyke, Stewart (O’brien 78), Mcgeady.