Swansea City meet Reading for a place in the Premier League on Monday.
Swansea City v Reading
Championship Play-Off Final
3pm, Monday 30 May 2011
Wembley Stadium
Click here for more details from the Football League's official website Less than 48 hours after the world watched supporters of Barcelona and Manchester United pack out Wembley for the
Champions League Final it will be the turn of Swansea City and Reading followers to make the famous stadium rock.
This time their clubs will do battle for one of the biggest prize in domestic football – a place in the Premier League.
Dubbed the £90milion match, the Championship Play-off Final has grown into one of the most eagerly awaited games in the footballing calendar. And this Bank Holiday match looks as intriguing as ever.
Leading out Swansea will be manager Brendan Rogers almost a year and a half after he was in charge of Reading, a club he was with for 14 years starting as a player.
It is just one of the match-ups that should make this such another magical Wembley occasion with so much at stake for players and supporters.
Reading were relegated from the Premier League in only 2008, but are hoping this will be third time lucky having lost their last two Play-off Finals – to Bolton in 1995 and Walsall in 2001.
Reading manager Brian McDermott, the former Arsenal player, worked as chief scout during Rodgers’ reign at the club. Reading are the form team and he will be hoping leading 25-goal striker Shane Long can continue his impressive season for one more match.
Bargain £10,000 buy Long used to stay with McDermott when he first came to the club from Ireland and the manager said: “He was 18 and spent eight weeks living in my house. He was a great lad and even cut the grass too.
“His and Kevin Doyle's goals have been worth millions, and they are really good people.
“The last 16 months Shane has played the majority of games and proven what a top player he is - not just at club level but at international level.”
Long is keen to repay the compliment and added: “At the start of the season I was playing well but just couldn't score - any other manager would have dropped me.
“But even though some of the fans were shouting for my head, the gaffer has stuck by me.
“Probably the only way to repay that is to help get Reading back into the Premier League.
“I've played 50 games and scored more than 25 goals so far this season. To get the winner at Wembley would probably do it.”
Meanwhile, the game holds special significance for Swansea’s Ashley Williams as he prepares to make his 141st consecutive appearance for the club that just missed out on the Play-Offs last season.
Williams said: “We have fallen short the last two seasons and that hurt is driving us on this time.
“I remember how I felt last summer. It is a long and horrible summer break when you don't achieve anything from the season and the team would hate for that to happen again.
“We enjoyed our celebrations after beating Nottingham Forest to reach the final and we want those celebrations times ten.
“If we win we can say we did it the right way. But the plaudits mean nothing if we don't get promotion.
Reading are hoping winger Jimmy Kebe, who has missed their last six matches because of a thigh injury, can play a part at Wembley. Hal Robson-Kanu is also available after recovering from the groin injury he suffered during the semi-final against Cardiff.
Swansea City have the option of recalling defender Neil Taylor after suspension.
