SUNDERLAND is laying on free transport to its Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Old Trafford.

The Black Cats, bottom of the Premier League, are 90 minutes away from a Wembley final after beating Manchester United 2-1 in Tuesday’s first leg at the Stadium of Light.

Supporters with a ticket for the match, to be played on Wednesday January 22 at 7.45pm, can travel on free buses from the Stadium of Light.

The club will also pay for official supporters’ branch buses, along with those from the SAFC Supporters’ Association and fans organisations ALS and 73, who usually operate buses independently to most away games.

Sunderland AFC chief executive Margaret Byrne said: “With such a good cup run and the congested festive fixture list, there has been a large number of games in a short space of time and we appreciate how expensive it has been for our supporters.

"We hope this gesture will help as many fans as possible to get behind Gus and the team at Old Trafford.”

The club anticipates at least 150 free buses will make the journey to Manchester and Symbion Power, a club partner based in the United States, is helping provide 30 of the free buses.

Places must be booked by noon on Saturday January 18 at the Stadium of Light ticket office, in-person or by calling 0191- 551 5004.

Editor in Chief of Sunderland fanzine Seventy3, Mal Robinson, said: "This is a superb gesture by the club.

“Times are hard just after Christmas for a lot of fans and we know, this will enable a lot of supporters to attend and cheer their team on in a game that sees the club 90 minutes from Wembley.

“It will be an awe inspiring sight to see 9,000 Sunderland fans in Manchester."

For details visit www.safc.com