Sunderland at Wembley: An 11-act tale of footballing triumph and tragedy

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.

But such worries are now a thing of the past, following Sunderland's 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 that there were no fans there to see it as the game was played behind-closed-doors due to the Covid rules then in place.

The trophy win was all well and good but the play-off final against Wycombe Wanderers a week on Saturday 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 Sunderland, it will be their second play-off final in four years and it is a chance to end the club's four-year 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. In the meantime, here is a guide to the triumphs and the tragedies of Sunderland's previous Wembley appearances, all the way from 1937 to the present day.

Sunderland's maiden Wembley appearance ended in victory as the Rokermen, managed by Johnny Cochrane, brought the FA Cup back to Wearside for the first time. Frank O'Donnell put Preston in front on 44 minutes, but