Sunderland fans rise and applaud for 1980s hero John McPhail, who has recently become ill.

Meanwhile, Jason McCarthy gets forward for Wycombe and touches the ball back for Garath McCleary to cross but it's claimed by Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland goal.

Image source, PA Media

Sunderland turning the screw.

Patrick Roberts races down field on the break, and he and Lynden Gooch work a crossing opportunity for Alex Pritchard.

His ball to the back-stick was headed into Ross Stewart's path by Ryan Tafazoli, but the striker can't quite wrap his foot around it and trouble David Stockdale.

All Sunderland amid a pulsating Wembley atmosphere.

Gary Bennett
Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle

That was inches away. It hit the side-netting.

Alex Pritchard curls a belter off the right foot which soars over the wall and looks for all money to be bending in to David Stockdale's net, but it veers just wide, rippling the side-netting.

Quite a few Sunderland fans at the other end thought it was in.

The pitch always looks so big at Wembley, and energy will be a big factor.

Sunderland trying to work Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts onto the ball early on, but it's man-to-man marking from Wycombe.

Dennis Cirkin bursts in-field and wins a free-kick on the edge of the Wanderers box.

Sunderland chance here.

Chris Peddy
BBC Sport

It's 11 v 11 on the pitch but Wycombe's fans are massively outnumbered by those from the north east. Sunderland's end is completely packed and they've even got some of the top two tiers above the Wycombe fans.

The roar around the stadium for kick-off is deafening to get us going and sets the tone for what is simply a huge game for both these clubs.

Simon Hooper is our referee at a rip-roaring Wembley where so much noise is coming from both ends. Lee Mason is on VAR duty.

Sunderland have the advantage on the decibels and the bums on seats.

Games aren't won like that though, and a good Wycombe start might quieten that huge mass who have trekked down the A1.

Alex Neil - in Cloughie style - has ditched the suit for his traditional trackie. That's more like it.

Wycombe get us going.

Keith Ryan
Former Wycombe midfielder on BBC Three Counties Radio

I watched Luke O'Nien play many times for Wycombe. He did a great job for Wycombe and it was brilliant that he got his move to Sunderland.

I think he would have imagined that Sunderland would have moved on and reached the Championship by now but here he is against Wycombe in the play-off final.

Alex Neil prefers him in that midfield role and that will be interestring because Wycombe have some real terriers in that position. It should be a great battle.

Interesting to see the two gaffers and their respective approaches to the game.

Alex Neil is dressed up in proper dapper fare, sharp suit with club tie. Professional.

I think the T-1000 from Terminator 2 showed more of a flicker of emotion. It's an icy stare.

Gareth Ainsworth by contrast has the snakeskin shoes with a cuban heel. Open neck shirt. Check. Coolly done.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Rex Features

Today's game marks a bit of history as a Video Assistant Referee - colloquially known as VAR - will be used in a play-off final for the first time.

The technology is a staple of the top flight, where every game is played before a multitude of cameras, and thus the technology is available to the referees to assess the action from their Stockley Park 'bunker'.

It will therefore be a little novel for these two third-tier sides to work with the kit, but Sunderland boss Alex Neil is trusting the system is in good hands.

"I think the VAR means you have to be conscious that any moment could be rewound and scrutinised," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I think you'd like to hope that a Premier League referee is able to control the game with ease. I'm glad they've put an experienced referee in charge and they get the decisions right. Whether they go in our favour or not."

Teams have just hit the pitch.

Amazing roar from around Wembley.

Today's game marks the end of the road for iconic Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, who is set to feature in his final game before retiring.

Promotion back to the Championship would the the perfect send-off for the 40-year-old, who has been talking about what might come next...

Image source, Getty Images

One man who already has 'previous' in play-off finals is Wycombe's one-man 'Beast Mode' - Adebayo Akinfenwa.

He won promotion in these games with AFC Wimbledon and his current club, and also took Swansea to within penalties of ascent back in 2006.

The 40-year-old veteran is finally hanging up the boots after this season, and will get his chance to seal a fairy-tale finish, according to boss Gareth Ainsworth.

He said: "At Wembley I've got to put him on, haven't I?

"He's not going to start and he probably knows that. But I wouldn't like to be the gaffer who didn't put him on for his last game, at the home of football.

"I'm sure the football gods are looking down, thinking 'there's one more moment'.

"There's a story to be written there. If Bayo can seal the deal then what a way to go out. But he'll say that even if he doesn't, what a way to go out."

Image source, Getty Images

Gareth Ainsworth might be playing a cute game and lumping all the pressure on Sunderland for this final, but the Wycombe boss' opposite number isn't for a minute buying it.

Having nudged their way into the top six, the Chairboys dumped hotly-tipped MK Dons out at the semis stage, winning 2-1 against a team who only finished a point behind second-placed Rotherham.

"MK Dons were really pleasing on the eye, they are a nice team who play well with nice passing movements, but at the end of the day it's about how you navigate the tie," Neil told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"As I said before, Wycombe have got a great trait of finding whatever necessary means to win a game with a lot of experience and because of that they're an extremely different opponent and a dangerous opponent."

The Chairboys recorded an impressive home win over third-place finishers MK Dons in the first leg of their semi-final.

Centre-half Ryan Tafazoli got Wycombe up and running against the Dons, before Sam Vokes' late goal earned them a priceless two-goal lead to take to Stadium MK.

Image source, Getty Images

The Dons fought back in the second-leg, and make things tense when Spurs loanee Troy Parrott headed in to reduce the deficit early on.

Wanderers keeper David Stockdale made some telling saves to deny in-form Scott Twine and Theo Corbeanu, while skipper Joe Jacobson's last-ditch stop denied Parrott an equaliser.

Gareth Ainsworth's side clung on to spark scenes of celebration at the finish.

Image source, Getty Images

Ross Stewart's 25th goal of a hugely productive season in red and white stripes gave Sunderland a 1-0 first-leg advantage against Sheffield Wednesday in their home opener of the play-off semis.

It was the deciding moment on a tense night before a packed Stadium of Light, although Alex Pritchard came close to a second when he rapped the bar.

Wednesday showed flashes of quality, but knew they would need much more back at Hillsborough.

Image source, Getty Images

Both sides were practically preparing for extra time when Patrick Roberts struck in the third minute of time added on to send Sunderland through to Wembley.

Sheffield Wednesday had pulled level when Lee Gregory popped up with 16 minutes to tuck away Marvin Johnson's cut-back.

It looked like neither side would make the breakthrough, but the Wearsiders conjured up another late strike under boss Alex Neil to snatch the Owls dreams away and book a Wembley return.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Rex Features

Boss Gareth Ainsworth has set his Wycombe side's narrative brilliantly in the build-up to today's final as he has been telling everyone - and most crucially his players perhaps - that they are the underdogs.

It is certain that size of club, financial muscle and fanbase would all put ticks in the Sunderland column, but Wycombe have been a second-tier side most recently.

Ainsworth is having none of that though.

"We know super-well everyone fancies Sunderland," Chairboys boss Ainsworth told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"Everyone fancies Sunderland who isn't connected with Wycombe Wanderers, which is brilliant because there's only one team with something to lose."

Image source, Rex Features

It took Leeds three seasons. It took Forest three seasons. If they get it right this afternoon, it'll have taken Sunderland four.

That is, to clamber out of the sucking whirlpool that is League One. Leeds made it all the way to the Premier League, Forest are 90 minutes away from the same.

To take similar steps, they need to finish the job at Wembley.

"I don't want to be in League One but you have to earn the right [to be promoted]," Neil told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"We need to focus on this and what we need to do.

"In terms of where we are, it would be a huge disappointment if we weren't successful."

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland make one change with Elliot Embleton - a play-off finalist with Blackpool last season - coming in for Jack Clarke, who drops to the bench

Wycombe are unchanged from their semi-final second leg game against MK Dons.

Sunderland: Patterson, Gooch, Wright, Batth, Cirkin, O'Nien, Evans, Roberts, Pritchard, Embleton, Stewart

Subs: Hoffman, Neil, Matete, Clarke, Doyle, Broadhead, McGeady

Wycombe: Stockdale, McCarthy, Stewart, Tafazoli, Jacobsen, Gape, Scowen, McCleary, Obita, Horgan, Vokes

Subs: Dickinson, Grimmer, Wheeler, Wing, Hanlan, Akinfenwa, Forino

Image source, Getty Images

Wycombe carry far less emotional baggage in these end-of-season knock-outs as they head to Wembley this afternoon with success still relatively fresh in the mind.

It will be a very different occasion though from their win over Oxford which took them in to the Championship at a near-empty national stadium during the pandemic back in 2019-20.

While not quite as full in number as the 46,000 suckers for punishment who will put themselves through the wringer from Sunderland, their 22,000-strong following gets the chance to potentially savour what was missed just over two years ago.

Older fans might just recall Martin O'Neill's side coming from behind to beat Preston in the 1993-94 Division Three play-offs. Only around 40,000 watched that one - today's crowd will dwarf that.