SUNDERLAND captain George Honeyman has described how losing late at Wembley in the League One-play off final has left the team feeling embarrassed.

In an interview after Charlton’s dramatic winner on Sunday condemned the Black Cats to another season in the division, former Prudhoe schoolboy Honeyman suggested that the result hurt more than back-to-back relegations.

Sunderland had been expected to secure automatic promotion this season under new boss Jack Ross, having dropped down to the third tier of English Football for only the second time in the club’s history.

And the result at the weekend was the second defeat endured at Wembley in the space of eight weeks following a penalty loss to Portsmouth in the final of the Checkatrade Trophy.

“That’s the toughest thing, seeing the fans,” said Honeyman. “Seeing the scenes over the weekend, coming down in their numbers again.

“We were going around clapping them at the end, for supporting us, and it’s hard.

“You almost feel a bit embarrassed because of the result. We have sent them home disappointed.

“I know we have given them a lot to smile about this year but ultimately we have not achieved what we set out to do.”