FOR a man with the wealth of experience of Sunderland hero Gary Bennett MBE, the nerves will still be getting to him on a day where he’ll watch his beloved club on the biggest stage… naturally. At the time of writing, he joked: “I’m quite calm at the present moment but as we grow nearer to Saturday, obviously the nerves are going to build up.”

He has marched onto the hallowed turf at Wembley with the Black Cats in the past but failed to win on three occasions. For the former defender with his past experiences, it’s all going to be about who turns up on the day.

Bennett played at Wembley for Sunderland in the League Cup final in 1985, the Second Division Play-off final in 1990 and the FA Cup final in 1992. All of those games add to Sunderland’s woeful record at Wembley. The former defender will be watching on at Wembley as a summariser for BBC Radio Newcastle when Sunderland take on Wycombe Wanderers for a place in the Championship next season.

The woes of Wembley have been well documented and Bennett has been a summariser for their recent trips that have mostly ended in defeat. The hoodoo ended with last season’s Papa John’s Trophy triumph in front of an empty stadium.

However, there is a different feel in the air going into this game than in previous years. Bennett told the Northern Echo: “I think there is a huge difference. You think for sure is that Sunderland are going into the game with momentum.

“You look at their record at the present moment, especially since Alex Neil took over, he’s only lost one game.”

There is a lot to be said about their fifteen match unbeaten run going into the game but it’s not just the feeling of momentum that makes this occasion different. “The other side of it is that the last couple of times when we have got into the play-offs, there has been a lot more pressure on Sunderland. They have always been favourites” Bennett continued.

“You look at this season. I think everybody was thinking were we going to jet into the play-offs or not, that was our aim, never mind automatic promotion. We’ve got there but then they have looked at other teams that are in play-off situation and thought maybe they are in better momentum. You look at MK Dons, people were fancying them.

“We all know about Wycombe. Strong, physical, been there before. Then obviously Sheffield Wednesday were on fire so when you look back at it with the four teams that were in, we weren’t the favourites to get to the final, never mind winning.”

A lot has been said about the contrast of playing styles between the teams in recent meetings. While Sunderland were lightweight when it came to keeping the ball out of their net earlier in the season, they have become a difficult team to play against under Alex Neil. But they come up against an awkward physical side in the Chairboys this weekend who will no doubt do what they know best according to the former defender, who has had his fair share of physical battles on the pitch.

“It’s always going to be on the day. It’s about who handles the occasion but it’s also about who handles the opposition” Bennett added.

“We all know what Wycombe are about and they will play to their strengths. They will try to upset Sunderland, get in their faces, get balls into the box, if not winning the first then trying to win the second one.

“What we’ve got to do, which you’ve always got to do in every game, is win your individual battles. If we can compete and stand up and be counted, then you look on paper with the ability of what we’ve got, we’ve got a bit more quality to go on and make things happen.”

If there is any man who is experienced enough how to overcome the club’s Wembley woes of the past, it’s Bennett. It will be a cauldron of noise when 44,000 Black Cats fans will pile into the turnstiles on Saturday afternoon. Bennett is sure about one thing. They shouldn’t expect any favours from the footballing gods on the day.

The Northern Echo: DECISIONS? Sunderland chairman Ellis Short with ex player Gary Bennett

“You’ve got to be confident but you’ve got to be right” he said. “You’re not just going to turn up on the day and Wycombe will just fall over and let you win the game.

“You can’t go into the game thinking too confident because anything can happen. It’s like anything in life. Nothing is set in stone. You’re not supposed to win the game because you are Sunderland Football Club or you’ve got the most supporters there or the better players on the day.

“You’ve got to earn that right. You’ve got to hope that your big players perform, they can handle the occasion and if you do that then yes, you’ve got a very good chance.”