There is something about the acoustics here, especially on nights as boisterous as this when the decibels are as high as the stakes, that the Stadium of Noise would be a more fitting title for Sunderland's partisan home.
It helps when you have a crowd of 44,742, the highest for a play-off semi-final in the history of the Football League; take that in when you consider the lunacy of the Black Cats even being here in the first place.
It helps, too, when your team comes into the game 13 unbeaten under a new manager. Make that 14 after Ross Stewart's only goal gave them a slender yet precious first-leg advantage.
Sunderland won their play-off semi-final first-leg tie on Friday thanks to Ross Stewart's goal
The hosts won in front of a partisan, raucous, record crowd of 44,742 at the Stadium of Light
There is something about the acoustics here, like on nights like this when the decibels are as high as the stakes, the Stadium of Noise would be a more fitting title for Sunderland's home
If Alex Neil's side maintain their run at Hillsborough on Monday night, Wembley awaits. With it, a chance to bring closure on four years of purgatory - some would argue hell - here in League One.
Neil quite passionately - in fact, make that aggressively - refutes the suggestion that his new club are worthy of more. His point is that Sunderland are where they are for a reason.
He is right, of course, but occasions like this really do have the feel of a Premier League setting, never mind the Championship. Wednesday and their fans will no doubt make an equally compelling case in the return leg.
They were never going to silence a capacity crowd but, for 45 minutes, they had succeeded in subduing those on the pitch.
Darren Moore must have felt like screaming, then, when his side conceded in the first minute of stoppage-time, especially given the self-inflicted nature of it. Striker
