A mid-season World Cup break was a voyage into unknown territory for Sunderland - in fact, for English football as a whole. After earning a hard-fought win at Birmingham City last month, would the pause stop the Black Cats' momentum in its tracks?
Or would it allow time to regroup and give injured players opportunity to recover before the restart against Millwall? It was a question that hung in the air during the three-week hiatus, and it was one that no-one could answer until the Championship season started up again.
But now we know. Sunderland essentially picked up where they left off, defeating Millwall on Wearside to complete their first back-to-back wins of the season.
