Summary

  • Hull and Middlesbrough competing for place in Premier League

  • Boro reinstated despite semi-final defeat after Southampton Spygate scandal

  • Hull beat Millwall over two legs to book place in final

  • Boro ended Championship season fifth, seven points above sixth-placed Tigers

  • Both clubs have not been in top flight since 2016-17

Live Reporting

Writers Rachel Kerr and Emma Petrie Edited by Jen Bateman

  2. Fans also gathering in Middlesbrough

    Philippa Goymer
    BBC North East and Cumbria

    Back in Middlesbrough fans are gathering to watch the match - Stack in the town is already filling up well before kick off.

    A wide view of the Stack in Middlesbrough with rows of tables and Middlesbrough fans sitting at them, many of them wearing red and white Middlesbrough shirts. There is a big television screen on the wall on the left hand side
    Middlesbrough fans sitting around a table. A woman sits between two men all wearing Middlesbrough shirts at the back and at the front are a man and a woman - the man is also wearing a Boro shirt and the woman is wearing a black sleeveless top and a denim skirt. Behind them is a bar
    Two female Middlesbrough fans sitting at a bar with pints of beer in front of them. The fan on the left has long brown hair and is wearing a green and white Middlesbrough top. The fan on the right is wearing a red Middlesbrough bucket hat and a red and white Middlesbrough top

  3. A sea of black and amber and red and white

    You can feel the excitement and anticipation from the Hull and Middlesbrough fans in these photos outside Wembley.

    Two Hull fans wearing orange and black wigs. The fan on the left is wearing a mainly orange Hull shirt and the one on the right is wearing a shirt with orange and black vertical stripesPA Media
    Four Hull fans standing next to a wall with a huge Hull flag draped over the side. it has the words Hull City AFC our time is now and 1904 in the middle surrounding a tiger's headPA Media
    A young Boro fan wearing a red Middlesbrough cap with his face painted red on one side and white on the other side and the word Boro in black across his facePA Media
    An older male Boro fan wearing a red and white bucket hat with Middlesbrough written around it and wearing a red and white Boro hat and and a red and white Boro scarfPA Media

  4. Former Boro player with fans at Wembley

    Dan Ragusa
    BBC Tees

    Former Boro player Craig Hignett is mixing with the fans on Olympic Way.

    He scored 48 times in 194 appearances for Boro, as well as playing in the 1997 League and FA Cup finals, and also held a number of coaching roles with the academy and first-team set-up following his retirement as a player.

    He's going for a 2-0 Boro win.

    Craig Hignett is wearing a black t-shirt and is holding a purple microphone with the BBC Tees logo on it in white. His first on his other hand is clenched. He is standing in front of Wembley Stadium with the part of the arch

  5. Temperature is rising in Wembley

    Matt Dean
    BBC Radio Humberside

    It’s maftin’ as we’d say in ‘ull on Olympic Way. The noise is crackling as fans of both clubs pour down from Wembley Park station. The place is splashed in the amber and black of the Tigers and the red of Boro.

    Fans outside Wembley Stadium

  6. 'It's written in the stars'

    Dan Ragusa
    BBC Tees

    Many Boro fans are still pinching themselves that they are here today after the drama of the last few weeks.

    Mark was among those who gathered in Trafalgar Square last night.

    "Absolutely unbelievable. I can't believe we have actually got here," he said.

    "It's like a fate, twist of events and it's written in the stars. Come on lads."

    He's expecting his team to win - obviously - but thinks it will be close with a cagey first 20 minutes before Boro turn up the pressure.

    Boro fan Mark on Wembley Way in London. He is wearing a Middlesbrough shirt with white and pale blue stripes with the club crest n black and white and the word Unibet in black. He is wearing sunglasses and has a big smile on his face. In the background is a yellow digger and rows of flats are behind him

  7. Tigers trip to Wembley

    More than 100 coaches carrying Hull City fans left the MKM Stadium this morning bright and early.

    Every supporter on board hoping this will be the day the Tigers head back into the Premiership.

    Fans board coaches outside the Hull City homeground
    A woman holding a Hull City supporters scarf

  8. Thousands of Boro fans head to London

    The exodus of Boro fans from the North East to the capital continued this morning with long queues outside the club's Riverside ground as supporters boarded coaches to the capital.

    On Friday the players received a warm send-off from Teesside International Airport.

    A queue of Middlesbrough fans outside the Riverside Starium in Middlesbrough. Many of them are wearing red and white Middlesbrough shirts and are standing in front of the ground which rises above them and is a white building with white supports coming out of the side
    Crowds of three deep stand behind a barrier in the airport to greet Middlesbrough players. One woman wearing a white dress is getting her red and white flag signed by player Hayden Hackney, who is wearing a black shirt and shorts. There is a sign on the wall behind them that reads: "Departures."

  9. Divided loyalities?

    The Askew family from North Newbald, East Yorkshire have a tough day ahead of them. Dad Guy is a Boro fan while sons Theo, 14 and Jasper, 11 both support Hull City. Someone is going to be gutted by the end of this.

    A man wearing a red Middlesbrough top is in a car with his two young sons both wearing Hull City shirts.Jade Askew

  10. Half Boro, half Hull babygrow made for play-off

    Half and half scarves are so last year. All the cool kids are wearing half and half babygrows this year.

    Emma Willingham, from Middlesbrough, is a Boro season ticket holder and her husband Simon is a Hull City season ticket holder leaving their daughter Beatrice in an awkward position this weekend.

    The solution? This fantastic outfit modelled by the seven-month-old.

    A family member will be looking after Beatrice this afternoon while her parents sit in opposite sections of the stadium.

    Baby Beatrice sits atop a kitchen counter wearing a half red and half yellow baby gro. Each side has the respective badges on. She has short red hair and is smiling slightly at the camera, with her hands outstretched. There is a vase of yellow flowers behind her.SUPPLIED

  11. Young fans ready to cheer Hull City to promotion

    Grace McGrory
    BBC Radio Humberside reporter

    Excitement has been building among fans all week, including at Thanet Primary School in Hull.

    Pupils were allowed to wear their kits to school to show their support.

    Jack, 10, said he had "butterflies in his stomach."

    He added: "I'm feeling very excited. I'm feeling ready for the adrenaline and the rollercoaster of emotions."

    Leo, 10, said he was "buzzing" to be going to Wembley.

    school children wearing Hull City kit standing in a playground

  12. Boro fans turn Trafalgar Square red and white

    Boro fans turned Trafalgar Square into a sea of red and white last night.

    Crowds of supporters packed into the famous London square, which over the years has become the go-to destination for North East clubs playing at Wembley.

    A wide shot of Trafalgar Square with one of the fountains and the base of Nelson's column on the left hand side of the photo and white coloured buildings at the back of the image surrounding the square. There aer hundreds of people, many of them wearing red Middlesbrough shirts. There is red smoke from flares drifting across the squareUGC

  13. Championship play-off final countdown begins

    Emma Petrie
    BBC News

    Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of today's Championship play-off final at Wembley.

    Spygate has overshadowed the match in recent days but it will be either Hull City or Middlesbrough who will be celebrating promotion to the Premier League this evening.

    We'll be bringing you all the pre-match fan excitement over the next two hours, before switching to build-up from the final itself at 15:30 BST.

    The Skybet Championship trophyGetty Images