A long 48 years of hurt at the home of football finally ends
Part two of our look at the Black Cats’ highs and lows at the national stadium
SUNDERLAND head into next week’s League One play-off final brimming with confidence after a strong finish to the season and with their 48-year Wembley hoodoo finally having been broken.
Wembley appearances have been viewed with a growing sense of apprehension over the previous four decades as Sunderland’s defeats at the national stadium racked up.
Yet such worries are now a thing of the past following the Wearsiders’ victory against Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy final under the arch in March last year.
It was their first win in nine attempts since their famous FA Cup triumph against Leeds United in 1973 and the only sadness was there were no fans there to see it as the game was played behind closed doors due to Covid rules.
The play-off final against Wycombe Wanderers a week today is a different order of magnitude with a place in the Championship at stake and this time there will be 37,500 Sunderland fans there to cheer on Alex Neil’s side and to turn Wembley Way into a sea of red and white.
For the Black Cats it will be their second play-off final in four years and a chance to end the club’s fouryear stay in the third tier and climb back into the Championship.
For Wycombe, it is an opportunity to make an immediate return to the Championship, having been relegated last term.
Yesterday, we looked at how Sunderland had fared from 1937 up to 1992. Now, here’s part two of a guide to the triumphs and the tragedies of Sunderland’s previous Wembley appearances all the way to the present day...
MONDAY, MAY 25, 1998 First Division play-off final: Charlton Athletic 4-4 Sunderland aet (Charlton win 7-6 on penalties)
Regarded as one of the most dramatic games ever seen at Wembley, that did nothing to dispell the disappointment as Sunderland’s wait for a win in this quarter of North London stretched to 25 years.
Peter Reid’s squad arrived having beaten Sheffield United 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final, while Charlton had beaten Ipswich 2-0 over two legs in their semi.
Sunderland-born Clive Mendonca fired the Addicks in front midway through the first half but second-half goals from Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips turned things around before the hour.
Mendonca scored again 20 minutes from the end to level things up, only for Quinn to put the Black Cats 3-2 in front almost immediately.
Charlton’s Richard Rufus sent the game into extra time with a goal five minutes from the end.
In the additional half-hour, Nicky Summerbee made it 4-3 to Sunderland in the 99th minute but five minutes later Mendonca completed his hat-trick to drag his side level again and ultimately send the game to a penalty shootout.
After 10 perfect penalties, the shootout went to sudden death and, with Charlton leading 7-6, Mickey Gray was the unlucky one - seeing his spot-kick saved by Sasa Ilic as the Addicks won out. This was Sunderland’s final appearance at the old Wembley Stadium.
SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2014 League Cup final: Manchester City 3-1 Sunderland
After a 16-year absence, Sunderland were back at Wembley in 2014 and it marked their first visit to the all-new stadium which had opened in 2007. Gus Poyet’s Black Cats had seen off MK Dons, Peterborough, Southampton, Chelsea and Manchester United to reach the showpiece final, while City’s route had seen them overcome Wigan, Newcastle, Leicester and West Ham.
On paper it was a mismatch, Premier League powerhouse City having spent hundreds of millions on stars such as Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Fernandinho and Yaya Tourey.
Yet for 45 minutes Sunderland fans dared to dream after on-loan Liverpool forward Fabio Borini fired them into a tenth-minute lead, his finish beating future Black Cats goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon.
The rude awakening came when City levelled on 55 minutes through Toure, Nasri adding the second goal a minute later, and Jesus Navas wrapping things up with a third in stoppage time.
SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2019 EFL Trophy final: Portsmouth 2-2 Sunderland aet (Portsmouth win 5-4 on penalties)
After back-to-back relegations left Sunderland in League One, the prospect of a Wembley cup final came as a welcome diversion in the latter stages of a promotion challenge.
Jack Ross’ side took on Pompey under the arch in front of a competition record attendance of 85,021 and looked to be on their way to victory after Aiden McGeady put them in front in the 38th minute.
However, eight minutes from time, Nathan Thompson equalised to send the game into extra-time.
Jamal Lowe then put Portsmouth in front in the 114th minute, only for McGeady to haul the Wearsiders level five minutes later and take the match to a penalty shootout.
Lee Cattermole took Sunderland’s second penalty and saw Craig MacGillivray make the save, Pompey’s Oli Hawkins then scoring the decisive spot-kick.
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2019 Charlton Athletic 2-1 Sunderland
Less than two months after their EFL Trophy defeat, Sunderland were back at Wembley for the League One play-off final - and for a rematch of their 1998 battle with Charlton.
The Wearsiders had beaten their Trophy final opponents Portsmouth 1-0 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final, Charlton defeating Doncaster Rovers on penalties in their semi after the two legs had finished 4-4 on aggregate.
The Black Cats were gifted a perfect start when Charlton defender Naby Sarr’s overhit backpass beat goalkeeper Dillon Phillips and found the net. Ben Purrington levelled for the Addicks 10 minutes before half time and with both sides failing to make headway in the second half the game looked destined for extra-time until Patrick Bauer scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to win the game for the Londoners.
SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021 EFL Trophy final: Sunderland 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
At last! After a 48-year wait, Sunderland finally clocked up another win at Wembley.
Lee Johnson’s Black Cats were paired against League Two Tranmere in the final and the game was settled by Lynden Gooch’s goal just before the hour. The only downside was there were no fans there to see it, the game played out behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions.