THE great exodus of tens of thousands of Sunderland fans to London began today (Friday, February 28).
Trains to the capital were fully booked weeks in advance and dozens of direct coaches have been organised.
Margaret Lowson and son Kieran, 13, caught a train south this afternoon, both predicting a 1-0 Sunderland win.
Meanwhile, 31 National Holidays coaches will leave Sunderland for a two-day trip tomorrow morning and many more National Express coaches will do the journey there and back in a day, leaving before dawn on Sunday.
Fans are reminded that alcohol is banned on coaches, the London Underground and many trains.
While tens of thousands will be making the journey from the North-East, some are travelling from much further afield.
One devoted fan is travelling from Kenya, while Jason Gregory tweeted he was flying 6,000 miles to see the action.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here