From 'Wise Men Say', to 'We're on our way'. As Sunderland's signature songs boomed around Wembley Stadium at full-time, with 46,500 fans joining in with gusto through tears of joy and relief, it felt like a huge cloud had lifted.
The vast majority had never seen their team win at Wembley, despite multiple visits over the decades since the club's 1973 FA Cup triumph. None had seen their team win a play-off final. Until now.
So they deserved to celebrate under the arch, and those celebrations continued long into the night back at Trafalgar Square - the traditional London rallying point for Sunderland fans which had also been packed on the eve of the final. From their first game following relegation to the third tier against Charlton Athletic at the Stadium of Light in August 2018, to this weekend's play-off final, Sunderland had spent 1,387 days wandering in the League One darkness.
