Flight cancellations, motorway breakdowns and relentless traffic, a penalty was the least those Bristol City fans deserved for the ones who managed to make it to Wearside on Saturday.
Others tuning in elsewhere would have cheered with a fist bump when Gavin Ward pointed to the spot in the 90th minute to end a ridiculous 469-day wait without a penalty.
After a moment to debate who was going to take it, Mark Sykes stepped to allow the experienced head of Nahki Wells to show nerves of steel and rescue a deserved point.
A defeat would have been tough to take given City's spirited performance. Jack Clarke's thunderous effort gave Max O'Leary no chance in the 60th minute against the run of play after Anis Mehmeti hit the post in the first half.
But the visitors dug deep and were rewarded in brilliant fashion when Jay Dasilva was taken down inside the area three minutes after his introduction. The Bristol City penalty clock was finally reset.
Although it was overshadowed by the potentially serious injury to Rob Atkinson in the early proceedings of the game. Here's the verdict as Bristol City's unbeaten run extended to 11 games in all competitions.
A huge blow for Rob and City
It looked fairly innocuous at the time when Atkinson challenged for a ball in front of the dugout with Amad Diallo however as soon as he went to ground, he looked in immediate discomfort.
Lying off the pitch and receiving treatment, the official waved for play to continue leading to Pearson sharing his frustration at the way they handled the situation. When the stretcher appeared, thoughts turned to his ACL and the long-term impact that could have on the player and team.
Until the severity of his injury is confirmed it's all speculation but Pearson prepared us for the worst during his post-match press interview. When asked if it was his ACL, he replied: "It's possible - it may be. I heard the contact and I could see he was in pain straight away."
It would prove a devasting blow for the 24-year-old if the worst-case scenario is confirmed. His run of form and understanding he has built with Zak Vyner in the back four has been integral to City's unbeaten run in 2023.
From a team's perspective, it's would be really bad news. Pearson is already hamstrung with numbers at the back with Kal Naismith out with a calf injury that's likely to keep him out for a few more weeks.
Tomas Kalas is the obvious stand-in going forward and there was plenty of encouragement in his 75-minute cameo while Cam Pring and George Tanner have also played in central defence.
Kalas' appearance
That brings me to Kalas who could have a big part to play between now and the end of the season. He's had to wait patiently for an opportunity following 10 frustrating months with a series of knee and groin issues.
With 75 minutes under his belt, that was the longest he has played in the first-team since March 5 when a groin injury ruled him out for the rest of the season. Kalas played to the left of Vyner and it wasn't long before he was being tested by Amad Diallo.
He recovered immediately after being nut-megged in a couple of rare rusty moments. After all, it is only his fifth substitute appearance of the season but Kalas can be more than encouraged by his performance.
Joe Gelhardt had little joy going up against him as the central striker with Kalas doing enough to prevent him from getting on the end of a cross in the first half. His quality isn't in doubt, it's whether he can remain fit week-in-week-out until the end of the season.
Speaking after the game, Pearson said of Kalas' performance: "I thought he was excellent. It was a difficult came to go on and one of the things we always talk about is whoever starts the game, players have to be ready to play a role when they go on. Tomas came on early and I thought he did very well."
No need to panic
I always particularly enjoy hearing the views of opposition reporters and staff when they come up against City. The comment I heard yesterday was "fair play to them, they actually came to play football."
With the superb Matty James in midfield, one of City's most in-form players, the visitors enjoyed spells of meaningful possession and created the best chances of the game. It was a mark of respect from Tony Mowbray's side who were happy to play on the counter-attack for large periods.
They had the pace of Diallo, Clarke and Patrick Roberts with the two wingers offering dangerous moments up against Cam Pring and George Tanner. But in front of around 37,000 home fans, City didn't let the atmosphere or occasion get to them.
If you hadn't known better, it would have been difficult to determine who were in the top six and which side came into the fixture in 15th. Yes, the Robins headed into the game in confident mood but Sunderland were also buoyed by back-to-back league victories including a 3-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the week.
Their first shot on target ended up in the back of the net and credit where credit is due, it was a brilliant finish by the former Tottenham Hotspur winger. The other two efforts on goal came in the final 12 minutes when City were pressing for an equaliser with Max O'Leary coming up with big saves in big moments.
What was evident, is how City never appeared flustered towards the end of the game. Earlier in the season, (and this is no disrespect to Chris Martin) but when Pearson brought him on in search of a late goal, they would lose their rhythm by lumping it into the box hoping for a knockdown or flick-on.
This time there were no signs of panic. The introductions of the experienced Andi Weimann, Wells and Harry Cornick would have played a part in that but City remained patient and were duly rewarded at the end.
What's more, with a few minutes of injury time still to play, City were pressing for the winner which would have been magic.
Sam Bell through the middle
Not many would have predicted Sam Bell to have started through the middle with the more physical Nahki Wells and Harry Cornick starting on the bench. Pearson stuck with Anis Mehmeti on the left and Mark Sykes on the right with both having a positive influence.
Bell has featured predominantly on that left side since his breakthrough and therefore playing through the middle offered him a different test. He was also up against powerful central defenders in Danny Batth and Dan Ballard and therefore faced a long afternoon in the aerial battle.
It was a thankless task for the 20-year-old for long periods. Sunderland were happy to sit deep and therefore Bell's space behind was limited. He wasn't able to play to his strengths in making those runs through the defence,
Instead, City were feeding Mehmeti over to the left and everything going forward came through him. He was by far the biggest threat on the pitch before Pearson freshened up the attack.
Bell was forced to drop deeper, pick up the ball with his back to the goal and lay it off to the wide men. Out of possession, he was his typical, energetic self barely giving the Sunderland defenders a moment's peace on the ball.
His 14 touches in 70 minutes paint a picture of his type of his afternoon which is just one more than Wells' 20-minute cameo as City took more risks in their search for an equaliser.
Just a word on Mehmeti, what a talent City have on their books. He was a constant thorn in Sunderland's side - plays with confidence and he's going to provide moments of genius.
He still has plenty to learn and may sometimes frustrate when he holds onto the ball for too long but the way he has settled into his new surroundings is very encouraging.
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