A Wembley win is about that exhilarating feeling of promotion; that sudden realisation that all the hard work has paid off; that full-body experience combining physical exertion and mental torture. It’s about coming out on the right side of a very thin line.

What a Sky Bet Championship season it has been, and it all comes down to this. Sheffield United and Sunderland are the two sides left to scrap it out under the arch in one final battle. Both can be solid at the back and free-flowing going forward. Both are led by tactically-astute football men. Both will give it everything.

From a head-to-head point of view, both edged this season’s league meetings on their own patch, so when they face off on neutral territory, anything could happen!

Sheffield United’s Wembley record makes for a concerning reading if you’re a Blade. They’re winless in their last seven visits to the home of English football, and their only ever victory came a century ago in the 1925 FA Cup final.

On a more positive note, manager Chris Wilder has sampled success there in the last fifteen years, winning the National League Play-offs with Oxford United.

A Premier League return would mean the world to Sunderland fans, who have been through the ringer in recent years, during the Black Cats’ slide down into League One.

Before all of that, they had clocked up a decade in the top-flight and craved stability at the top table once again.

It is a mouth-watering battle, not least because there are so many potential match-winners on either side of the fence. It’s almost impossible to predict who may excel, but it builds the suspense to try!

Sheffield United include in their ranks Championship Player of the Season Guatavo Hamer, the enigmatic Callum O’Hare, sharp-shooter Tyrese Campbell, and rock-solid Michael Cooper, to name a few.

The Sunderland squad boasts the Championship Young Player of the Season Jobe Bellingham, the tigerish Luke O’Nien, and electrifying forwards Wilson Isidor and Enzo Le Fee.

Any of the above could turn the game their team’s way, but this is the kind of occasion from which somebody could emerge from the shadows to seal the deal.

Previous Wembley experience might come to the fore, with players who have won, lost and scored under the arch potentially involved. The team which controls the nerves as well as the ball will always prosper.

I’ve sampled the Wembley atmosphere many times as a commentator. It’s a place that hits differently, whether you have boots on your feet or a microphone in your hand.

Those who embrace the occasion and the butterflies will always perform well on the day. I wonder if the euphoria of that Dan Ballard moment from the Semi-Final will carry Sunderland forward, or whether the ease with which Sheffield United swotted Bristol City aside will keep their confidence levels bubbling along nicely.

Either way, someone must be victorious, and someone must leave empty-handed. Most importantly, Wembley never forgets a winner. Good luck to both teams and to you if either is in your heart.

Glory awaits in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final

Glory awaits in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final