Now the fixtures are out, the countdown to the new season is under way and Sunderland fans will have already started picking out the key dates. The Black Cats outperformed all expectations last season on their return to the Championship, following up their promotion from League One via the play-offs but immediately securing a top six finish in the second tier before losing out in the play-off semi-finals against Luton Town, who went on to win at Wembley and reach the Premier League.
Sunderland's second season in the Championship sees them take on newly-promoted Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light in a live televised game on the opening weekend of the season in early August, and ends with another home game against another newly-promoted side in Sheffield Wednesday at the beginning of May. But aside from those bookend fixtures, there are crucial games - some obvious, some less so - that could have a big impact on the club's season.
Reaching the play-offs last season was an unexpected bonus, but it will only serve to raise expectations ahead of the new campaign and anything less than a play-off spot will seem like a backwards step, albeit the competition is likely to be even tougher this term given the fact that all three teams relegated from the top flight - Southampton, Leicester City, and Leeds United - will be expected to challenge for automatic promotion. Our Sunderland AFC writer James Hunter takes a look at some of the games that could have a major bearing on the Black Cats' campaign.
