Lee’s reception amid best atmosphere of the season
Sunderland defeated Plymouth Argyle in League One on Saturday – but there are some moments that can be missed whilst in the stadium or watching from home.
The Black Cats came racing out of the blocks and were 2-0 up in under 15 minutes after goals from Dan Neil and Nathan Broadhead.
The visitors pulled one back through Dan Scurr in the second half, but Sunderland managed to see the game out for a 2-1 win.
Here, though, we take a look at some of the moments you may have missed from the Stadium of Light on Saturday:
Lee Johnson’s telling interaction with Roker End
A week ago, Lee Johnson was embroiled in a minor controversy.
Following Sunderland’s 1-1 draw, one fan is said to have voiced their displeasure towards Johnson after his team failed to win.
The head coach reacted to what some around the incident at the Stadium of Light have described as alleged abuse by waving his hand towards the fan and walking off.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle after the match the fan rang in to accuse Johnson of allegedly sticking his two fingers up at him.
Johnson apologised for the incident following Sunderland’s 5-0 win against Morecambe and received support from Black Cats fans.
That support extended to the game against Plymouth Argyle.
Following the final whistle, Johnson strode out onto the Stadium of Light pitch amidst the scenes of celebrations in the stands and approached the Roker End.
He was given a fantastic reception by the Sunderland faithful and the head
coach threw in a fist pump or two of his own following the win.
The best atmosphere at the stadium this season
The game against Plymouth was probably the loudest the Stadium of Light has been this season.
That’s always going to happen when you race into a 2-0 lead early on.
Sunderland were so direct and intense. Johnson's men didn’t allow Plymouth to settle and got the home crowd well up for it. That’s the blueprint going forward. What also helped was that the Black Cats have a superb stadium announcer who has the courage to put his own spin on things.
Rory Fallow is a fan and you can hear it when he announces goals and the crowd are responding to him.
Fallow’s enthusiasm gets that extra decibel from the home support and that is no bad thing.
If you were at the game on Saturday then you probably haven’t heard Frankie
Francis’ commentary on SAFSee for Broadhead’s second goal.
I highly recommend you seek it out on Twitter. It is brilliant, high-pitched and hilarious.
Francis is also a Sunderland fan from the city.
Given the importance of the matchday announcer and the live commentator, it is great to see both roles performed with such enthusiasm. Because, let's face it, as fans ourselves we’re all as excitable as Fallow and Francis!