1990 Play-off final (Wembley) v Swindon
Sunderland 0 (0)
Swindon 1 (1) McLoughlin
Sunderland: Norman, Kay, Agboola, Bracewell, Bennett, Macphail, Owers, Armstrong, Gates (Hauser), Gabbiadini, Pascoe (Atkinson)
Attendance: 72, 873
As a correspondent to Wise Men Say put it at the time:-
"1985: You win through to Wembley after a storming win in the semi-final, the second leg of which is marred by a pitch invasion of the opposition’s notorious hooligan fans.
"At Wembley, you outnumber, outdrink and outsing the fans of the southern rural opposition, and win plaudits for friendliness among both sets of supporters. However, your team’s performance is dreadful and you lose to a heavily deflected goal."
"1990: Repeat."
Three weeks after they won at Wembley, Swindon were relegated (initially to Division Three) for financial irregularities, and we were promoted in their place.
Cue incessant whining noises from Tyneside...