Patrick Roberts is ready to cap a 'crazy year' with his first outing at Wembley - but admits it would mean little unless he can help Sunderland win promotion. The January signing from Manchester City scored the injury-time goal at Hillsborough last week which secured an aggregate win over Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off semi-final, and set up Saturday's meeting with Wycombe Wanderers in the final.
Roberts endured a miserable first half of the season out on loan with French side Troyes where he made just one 14-minute appearance as a substitute back in September. So when Sunderland came in for him in January, he seized the opportunity with both hands and he could now end the campaign by playing at Wembley for the first time in his career.
But while that would be an achievement in itself, Roberts admits he will only enjoy it if Sunderland win on the day. "It's been a crazy year," he said.
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"I can't really believe it's going to finish with a game at Wembley, to be honest. I look back to October or November, and I was sat in France, wondering what was going on.
"So, to get an opportunity like this, it's any footballer's dream. Ever since I was kid, I've dreamed of being involved in an occasion like this at Wembley.
"To get an opportunity to do it with a club like Sunderland is massive for me, but ultimately, it'll only be an enjoyable experience if we win the game."
He added: "I've never played at Wembley before. Normally, at this stage of the season, I've been scrapping down the other end of the table.
"It's nice to be doing something different for a change. It will be a first taste for me, but I've played in big games before so hopefully that's one thing I can bring to this team, that experience of playing in tough places and tough competitions.
"It's good for us, and it's good for the club, but there's still one more game to go and we need to focus on getting the job done."
When Sunderland got in touch with Manchester City, Roberts was recalled from his loan spell in France and he then sealed a permanent switch to the Stadium of Light. He said: "As soon as Sunderland came in for me, I jumped at the chance to join – and this was always the aim.
"The aim was to be in with a shot of getting promotion. The manager has obviously come in with exactly the same aim, and right from the word go, he's set us up tactically to a tee to achieve that.
"He puts us on that platform to go out there to do what we do, and right through the team, I think we've delivered. When I came in, I felt a really good feel for the club.
"They're a top team. They shouldn't be in League One, but you can't keep saying that – you've got to do it on the pitch and I think we've shown what we can do. Every week, we've shown we can grind things out when we need to, and that's the sign of a good team, with a good manager and good staff.
"You bring all that together and you can achieve some good things. We're focusing on the next game at Wembley, and we'll give it our all."
Sunderland were backed by a crowd of almost 45,000 for the first leg of the semi-final on Wearside, and took the maximum 2,000 they were allowed for the return at Hillsborough. And at Wembley there will again be almost 45,000 Sunderland fans there to cheer on their side.
Roberts said: "The support has always been great this season. At home the other day, getting 40-odd thousand was incredible.
"They showed their support, and you just know they're going to be there again at Wembley. The never-say-die attitude that we have, they have as well, and they want their club to be back at the top.
"We can only do our best to implement that for them on the pitch by giving our all. I think they can be proud of us the way we keep going to the end.
"These late goals [such as the one Roberts scored in the semi-final] are not just flukes – the attitude to keep on giving everything has been instilled in us from the manager from the day he came in. We're defensively strong, and we know we can be clinical in the right areas, at the right time.
"We do that, and it will give us confidence for Wembley."
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