Penalty shoot-outs and the play-offs simply don't go together for Sunderland. Six years after they missed out on a place in the Premiership following a Wembley spot-kick defeat to Charlton, the Black Cats again saw their promotion hopes dashed in the cruellest of fashions last night.

The Nationwide League will be sponsored by Coca-Cola next season and, after the most heart-breaking of defeats to Crystal Palace, Sunderland's hopes of escaping to the top-flight went pop.

The Black Cats found their fizz in the final four minutes of the first half as strike partners Kevin Kyle and Marcus Stewart repeated their goalscoring exploits of the first leg to secure a priceless 2-0 lead.

That would have been enough to take Mick McCarthy's side through to a Millennium Stadium final against either Ipswich or West Ham but, with the game deep in stoppage time, Palace substitute Darren Powell stunned the Stadium of Light with the most dramatic of headed goals.

Mart Poom made two incredible saves in the subsequent shoot-out, but three Sunderland misses left the door open for Michael Hughes to win the game for the visitors.

Sunderland's play-off history is littered with second leg comebacks and, after overhauling an identical one-goal deficit against Sheffield United in 1998, the Black Cats had history on their side going into last night's decider.

But McCarthy's team selection underlined their need to succeed at both ends of the field. Irish international Sean Thornton, one of the club's most visionary figures on his day, replaced Carl Robinson in midfield.

And, after being taken to the cleaners by the lively Julian Gray at Selhurst Park, right-back Darren Williams found himself dropped in favour of Joachim Bjorklund despite being the only survivor from the Black Cats' most recent play-off campaign.

Iain Dowie opted to name an unchanged line-up following Palace's 3-2 win on Friday night, but the Eagles boss was left with the difficult decision of whether to sit on his side's one-goal cushion or urge his players forward in the hope of getting a potentially decisive goal.

Dowie's choice was evident from the kick-off as Palace launched three dangerous attacking raids within the opening three minutes.

The first two ended with the Black Cats' backline scrambling the ball away, but the third culminated in Poom making a fine smothering save from Gray after the winger had been sent clear by Hughes.

Sunderland barely touched the ball in the opening skirmishes and they were almost made to pay for their slow start three minutes later. Andy Johnson wriggled free down the left, but midfielder Aki Riihilahti sent his header crashing against the upright with Poom well beaten.

The home side needed something to get them into the game and, while skipper George McCartney's skidding strike didn't threaten to beat Vaesen, it at least gave the Black Cats a foothold in their opponents' half.

Sunderland were still making far too many unforced errors though, with an abundance of heart occasionally winning out over more intelligent use of the head.

Bjorklund highlighted the sense of panic when he rushed a routine header and allowed Johnson to whistle a crisp 20-yarder narrowly past the left-hand post.

But there is nothing like a goal to settle the nerves and the Black Cats found the perfect antidote to their jitters just before the break.

Jason McAteer had done little of influence in the rest of the first half but, in the 42nd minute, he floated a pinpoint cross into the area for Kyle to chest the ball down perfectly before smashing an unstoppable close-range drive past Nico Vaesen.

The Scotland international might not be the most aesthetically pleasing of strikers, but his pinpoint control showed there is far more to his game than the aerial tussles for which he is renowned.

Kyle's strike partner Stewart is normally the one associated with timing and touch in the box but, ironically, it was his heading ability that sent Sunderland into an aggregate lead in first-half stoppage time.

McAteer sent over another measured centre from the left and Stewart didn't need to break stride as his thrusting run ended in an inch-perfect header that gave Vaesen no chance at his near-post.

Suddenly it was Sunderland who were left with the question of whether to stick or twist. For much of the second half they did the former with their back four increasingly pushed back onto the edge of their own penalty area.

Gary Breen won a succession of vital headers, but the Black Cats were playing a dangerous game. As the pressure continued to mount, substitute Powell came close with a looping header from Wayne Routledge's corner.

Gray also shot wide as full-time approached but, with Palace committing more and more men forward, Jeff Whitley shot tamely when presented with a great chance to make things safe.

Gray was dismissed for two bookable offences following a crude lunge on McAteer but, just as Sunderland looked to be home and hosed, there was a final sting in the tail.

Powell powered onto Shaun Derry's stoppage-time corner at the back post and, despite the efforts of Carl Robinson on the line, his header nestled in the back of the net.

Understandably deflated, the Black Cats struggled to make their extra man count in extra-time and so to the penalties.

Oster failed, Poom got his hands to Palace's first two spot-kicks but, while they went in, the Estonian saved Derry's final effort to take the shoot-out into sudden death.

McAteer was left heart-broken as Vaesen saved his attempt, but Poom made a second magnificent stop from Routledge to keep Sunderland alive.

Whitley's stuttering miss left the Black Cats teetering on the brink again and Hughes took full advantage to finally send Palace through.

Result: Sunderland 2 Crystal Palace 1 (4-4 on aggregate after extra-time. Palace win 5-4 on penalties).

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