Sunderland 2-1 Lincoln City (2-3 agg): Tom Hopper goal ensures Imps hold off Black Cats to reach League One play-off final
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Tom Hopper scored two of Lincoln's three goals in the play-off semi-finals against Sunderland
Lincoln City withstood Sunderland's gutsy fightback to reach the League One play-off final in a breathtaking second leg at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats trailed 2-0 after the first leg, but Aiden McGeady teed up goals for Ross Stewart and Charlie Wyke to wipe out the lead by the interval.
But the Imps improved immeasurably and, after Regan Poole's header hit the bar, Tom Hopper headed home the vital goal.
Jorge Grant also missed a penalty while McGeady hit the post for the hosts.
Grant's spot-kick was brilliantly saved by keeper Lee Burge, but the miss did not prove costly as Michael Appleton's men held off some persistent late pressure to set up a Wembley date with Blackpool on Sunday, 30 May.
Defeat for Sunderland means the Wearsiders have now failed in six play-off campaigns.
Only three teams had previously managed to overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit or more to win through to the third-tier play-off final.
But even the presence of 10,000 Black Cats fans could not lift Sunderland to match the achievements of Bradford in 1996, Northampton in 1998, and Yeovil in 2007.
Lincoln's progress, which puts them 90 minutes away from playing in English football's second tier for the first time since 1961, seemed unlikely as they were totally outclassed by an Aiden McGeady-inspired Sunderland in the first period.
Sunderland miss out despite McGeady magic
Veteran winger McGeady provided the guile and class in a team performance full of intensity.
McGeady, 35, was only playing because he agreed to waive an appearance-based clause to automatically extend his contract.
Any financial implications of a new deal would surely have been forgotten had Sunderland built on his efforts which saw him shift the ball quickly and whip in a tantalising cross for Stewart to side-foot home the opener.
The lead should have been doubled when Wyke rounded fit-again keeper Alex Palmer, but he dithered in front of goal and then saw his effort blocked by Morgan Rogers.
Charlie Wyke's first-half strike was his 31st goal of the season
That miss looked less damaging when another glorious left-wing cross from McGeady allowed Wyke to poke in his 31st goal of the season on the stretch to level the aggregate score.
Lincoln's young side looked timid and overawed - a far cry from the side which so impressed in the 2-0 win at Sincil Bank.
Michael Appleton's men barely escaped their own half, with just a blocked shot by Brennan Johnson after a slick move on the left causing any concern for the hosts.
But the Imps showed a drastic improvement after the interval as the introduction of Joe Walsh and Conor McGrandles and a much more aggressive approach saw them begin to dominate.
Poole crashed a fine downward header off the bar from a corner, but the warning was not heeded as an unmarked Hopper then headed home.
Sunderland's day threatened to totally unravel when Josh Scowen's rash challenge upended McGrandles in the box, but Burge dived full length to his right to beat away Grant's spot-kick.
But the midfielder's fourth penalty miss of the season would not prove decisive as the visitors held their nerve late on to book their place at Wembley and consign Sunderland to a fourth successive season in League One.
Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson: "The boys are devastated. The staff are devastated. You could see they put everything into it.
"The fans were magnificent. It was my first taste of the Sunderland fans with everybody behind us and if there's a positive, it's that is a sign of things to come, the tempo we can create for the 23 home games next season.
"We should have had a penalty when Ross Stewart was taken down and I think at that point, if we get to go 3-0 up, it allows us to rest in possession a little bit."
Lincoln manager Michael Appleton: "I was really disappointed with the first half, I did not recognise us as a team.
"I just wanted to see personalities, be brave and get on the ball, pass the ball and we got that in the second half.
"I just said that to them at the end that we have passed a massive test in the second half because we were up against it in the first half. We had a lot of young players who had not experienced that before."
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