Why the 3.01pm kick-off in Sunderland's Championship play-off final against Sheff Utd is so significant

Sunderland’s Championship play-off final with Sheffield United will get underway at 3.01pm on Saturday afternoon in a show of support for the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign.

Former Blades midfielder Vinnie Jones will be joined by Luton Town defender Tom Lockyer and the British Heart Foundation’s Senior Programme Manager Lizzie Moscardini on the Wembley pitch for what is described as an ‘unprecedented CPR demo’ that will take place in front of a crowd of over 80,000 supporters and will be shown on screens around the home of football.

The move comes almost two years to the day after Lockyer collapsed on the Wembley pitch during the Hatters’ play-off final win against Coventry City and then suffered a cardiac arrest during his side’s Premier League home game with Bournemouth just over six months later. The Wales international has now had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted and spoke recently of his determination to ‘remain active’ and is hopeful he can resume his playing career elsewhere after undergoing strict return-to-play protocols and regular health checks.

The kick-off time of 3.01pm will symbolise the importance of every minute when it comes to saving lives as the chances of survival decreases by 10 percent without the use of effective CPR or defibrillation. Former Leeds United star Jones has spoken out over the impact the plans that have been put in place for the play-off final can make as believes the campaign shows just how strong ‘the power of football’ can be.

Jones, who is an ambassador for the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, said: “Football brings people together, and this campaign’s proved the power of football to do a lot of good. We’ve got nearly 90,000 fans at Wembley – if even a handful walk away knowing CPR, that could be the difference between life and death. Simple as that.”

“Every extra person we inspire to learn CPR could one day go on to save a life”

Hatters defender Lockyer said: “This campaign has brought fans, players and clubs together like never before – and the result is nothing short of incredible. In just a year, we’ve helped more than 300,000 people to start learning CPR. That’s a massive achievement, and one I’m incredibly proud of. I’m one of the lucky ones, but the stark reality is that most people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest won’t be so lucky. That’s why on Saturday at Wembley I’ll be calling for one final effort from the fans because every extra person we inspire to learn CPR could one day go on to save a life.”

Sky Bet Chief Commercial Officer Steve Birch, added: “A year ago we set out with a single-minded ambition to leverage our brand and our sponsorship of the EFL to mobilise football fans and the nation behind the vital goal of getting 270,000 people learning CPR. Not only have we achieved that target we’ve exceeded it thanks to a truly transformative partnership between ourselves, the British Heart Foundation and of course the EFL.

“We’re incredibly proud of our title sponsorship of the EFL and the Sky Bet EFL Play-Offs and it’s amazing to see how that partnership has flourished to the extent that on Saturday collectively we will turn one of the biggest games in football – the Championship Play-Off Final - into a powerful platform for education turning thousands of fans into an army of lifesavers.”

To learn CPR in just 15 minutes, visit bhf.org.uk/revivr

Your next Sunderland read: Sunderland and Middlesbrough favourite Julio Arca handed interesting new role after managerial stint