Alex Neil leads Sunderland into today's League One play-off final saying there is no better feeling than winning promotion at Wembley. The Black Cats take on Wycombe Wanderers under the arch this afternoon, with a place in the Championship at stake.
If Sunderland secure promotion it will be the first time they have done so through the play-offs, having fallen short three times in previous finals. But Neil is a two-time play-off winner, having led Hamilton Academical to promotion to the Scottish Premiership in 2014, and then taking Norwich City to the Premier League with a Wembley win over Middlesbrough 12 months later.
And while title wins are undoubtedly impressive feats, Neil says the feeling of winning promotion in a one-off showpiece game provides the ultimate rush for supporters. Asked whether the play-offs is the best way to win promotion, he smiled: "Yeah, it probably is.
READ MORE: Alex Neil ready to start planning for the future after today's Wembley play-off final
"It's a cup final and a league in one sitting, isn't it? It's hard to describe those moments.
"I've had been fortunate enough to have two of them. Certainly at Hamilton, I had spent a long, long, time there so that club was really close to my heart, and to do it there was great.
"To then do it at Norwich and get to the Premier League was equally great. But this one would be right up there if we manage to do it this weekend."
This is the seventh time Sunderland have been involved in the end-of-season play-offs, and they have yet to succeed. The Black Cats also had a near-50 year wait for a win at Wembley since their FA Cup triumph in 1973, before that came to an end in March last year when they lifted the EFL Trophy.
But that Trophy win came in the midst of the second wave of the Covid pandemic, meaning there were no fans at Wembley to witness the occasion. Today, however, more than 46,000 supporters will be at the national stadium and Neil is determined to give them an occasion to celebrate.
"I would take a huge amount of pride in that if we are successful," said the Scot, who took over on Wearside in February. "The most important thing for me is to get this club, this group of players, this fanbase to be successul.
"Nothing will give me greater pleasure than to see people happy and to take the club to the next level. My job as a coach is to try to make people better, to enhance their careers, and their lives.
"If they play at better levels they earn more money, they achieve things in their lives, and they are remembered for being successful. My job is to help that happen."
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