A GIANT Sunderland flag bearing the club crest will be held aloft by fans ahead of the cup final.

The 25-mete long banner is the largest in the club’s history and has been created by the group Haway The Flags.

The group were struggling with funding, but with financial backing from the club and the fanzine A Love Supreme, the mammoth flag was produced in time to surf the crowd on Sunday in all its red and white glory.

SAFC chief executive Margaret Byrne said: "The Capital One Cup final will be a wonderful occasion for the club and our supporters and to see the east end of Wembley turned red and white will be an amazing sight."

She added: "I am sure the crowd-surfer flag will be brilliant and on behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank the Haway the Flags group for their hard work in making it happen."

Nick Adams from Haway the Flags said: "It’s amazing that we have got this ready in time for the final."

Fans can contribute to future ‘Haway the Flags’ projects by visiting their website www.hawaytheflags.co.uk