Popular Durham pub gets play off final 'makeover' as Sunderland aim to win at Wembley
by Simon Duke · ChronicleLiveA popular Durham pub has had a bit of a makeover ahead of this weekend's Championship play off with, with staff posting a photo of a huge sign reading 'Til the End' outside the building, as Sunderland aim to win at Wembley and make a long awaited return to the Premier League.
It's been eight years now since a goal from Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light at the end of the 2016/17 season condemned the Black Cats to relegation from the Premiership, after a 10 year stint in England's top flight. As Netflix cameras were there to capture the rebuild after that for hit series Sunderland Til I Die, things then went from bad to worse for SAFC, when they then dropped down into League One, suffering two successive relegations in as many seasons.
After last minute heartache in the League One play off in 2019, Sunderland won at Wembley to bounce back to the Championship in 2022 and, now, despite a rather dodgy run of form towards the end of the season, are now eyeing a return to the Premier League, having sealed their place in Saturday's play-off final, thanks to a dramatic last second win against Coventry in the semi second leg at the Stadium of Light last week.
Tens of thousands of Sunderland supporters are getting ready to head to London for the big game, with extra trains put on and many expected at an event at a London Bridge bar on Friday evening, before taking their seats inside Wembley stadium the following afternoon for the 3pm kick-off against Sheffield United.
Just like Newcastle were for the Carabao Cup final, Sunderland will also be cheered on by plenty of people in the North East as well and, having had plenty of people in to watch both legs of the semi, The Drunken Duck is gearing up to be packed out on Saturday afternoon and have got in the spirit with the huge 'Til The End' sign, echoing the messages on the flags and billboards at the SoL a week ago.
The sign was seen in a photo that was shared on Facebook on Tuesday, when the pub revealed its plans for the game, writing: 'THIS SATURDAY. Along with resident DJ’s from 6pm we will also be showing the Championship Play Off Final between @sunderlandafc & @sheffieldunited 3pm ON THE SCREENS.'
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