The stage was set - quite literally.
Three lone stools stood on a slightly elevated platform in a bar near Liverpool Street Station in London's financial district.
A group numbering in the region of 200 people had gathered inside a bar that epitomises the nature of its surroundings. All was leather, chrome and dark wood, dimly lit to hide that which the landlords do not wish you to see.
Rarely if ever do a group of individuals who gather on a Saturday night in London in an establishment such as this have a common belief or ideology relating to Sunderland AFC. However, with standing room only, the clamour and expectation to see one of the club's idols back where it all began for him in the capital over two decades ago hung in the air and felt almost tangible.
For this was to be an impromptu night with chairman Niall Quinn and chief executive Steve Walton for a supporters' branch that travels probably more than any other, reflecting their love and fervour for a club matching those who live within Sunderland's own city limits.
Many had arrived hours early to ensure the best vantage point in this tight establishment and before the evening's main stars had even arrived from their hotel on the other side of the metropolis, a heaving mass of fans had collected and were ready to hear what the future held for their club.
Much can be relied upon from most football fans, especially those of the red and white persuasion, give them and inch and they will stay happy, but like Quinn and Walton, give them a mile and you'll have them forever. When an event scheduled for a 7pm start on a night when London's transport system was in a proverbial mess began almost an hour late and not one caustic word uttered concerning the delay, showed plainly what it meant to these supporters that the club's hierarchy should pay them a visit.
The sun had set over distant West London and the landmark silhouettes were disappearing by the time Messrs Quinn and Walton rounded the corner to arrive at this drinkers' hidden gem, but when the obvious frame of one of Sunderland's favourite sons stooped to enter through the glass doors 200 voices erupted.
With host - Sky Sports' Claire Tomlinson - already ensconced, the matter at hand was to negotiate both men towards the stage, no mean feat considering every person inside the bar had come to bear witness to an event of real rarity.
Similar to those which have preceded it, this final 'Night with Niall' was a free-wheeling affair where host and guests discussed the matters at the heart of the club's season in an informal environment. They began with where the club is - or was - on the eve of the season's final game for Sunderland away at West Ham and at the time Steve Bruce's side lay in 14th position in the Barclays Premier League with a top 10 spot within reach should results go Sunderland's way.
Both chairman and chief executive were careful not to dictate what the future will hold for the club on the pitch because both men are well schooled in the art of 'under-promising' as often as possible when variables such as 90 minutes on a Saturday are concerned.
Quinn as player and Walton as life-long fan have watched and experienced games, weeks, months and seasons unravel before them too many times to definitively promise those with an emotionally vested interest in Sunderland much. But, hope, hope is a different entity.
"We believe and are optimistic that this club will be a little bit better every season," said former banker Walton.
"That's all I ask of any part of the business or club: to try to do better this year than last."
That pragmatic viewpoint worked on the night as a foil for the less abstract Niall Quinn:
"Guys, we're 14th now and I can't tell you where we'll be tomorrow at 6 'o' clock, but if you look at what we're doing, we're building something to ensure longevity of success. We don't intend to be a 'flash in the pan' club where we do it for one year but then struggle afterwards.
"Take Portsmouth for instance, a fantastic team Harry Redknapp put together that went on to win the FA Cup in 2008 and was a great moment in their history. But, I tell you they're paying for it now. People want success at this club yesterday and while nothing would give me more pleasure than to give you a second major cup since World War Two, we need to get there in time."
Sunderland though have hardly made a pilgrim's progress in the Barclays Premier League since returning to it in 2007. Four years' unbroken presence in the world's most competitive league and an upcoming fifth is an achievement not to be sniffed at.
With each sentiment and statement from both men augmented by cheers and applause, there was a sense that this could be a long night, and the intimate nature of the venue lent itself to a personal feel for fans that make a journey of around 600 miles for each home game.
Old favourites were dug up by both men on stage in the evening's first period, such as memories of Sunderland's best result of the campaign at Chelsea in November and the story of the club's players treating their supporting staff to a day at Sedgefield Races, but holding a similar structure to the four previous nights in recent months, content flowed from both men.
There was no shirking of the issues at hand though from football and workings inside the club to its finances:
"We know we've been derailed by injuries throughout the season and there is a thought in everyone's mind about 'what might have been' over the last nine months for Sunderland.
"But I assure you, no quarter will be given or stone left unturned until we find out what has gone wrong over the last three months," explained the chairman. "And mark my words, the things that need to change will do so."
Walton added: "We know that we have had an 'up and down season' with everything that's gone and there are so many permutations on the final day, but, where we finish influences so much as far as the club going forward is concerned.
"For instance, when Niall and I budget for next season as far as what the manager has to spend on transfers and wages etcetera, would you believe that each place in the top flight is worth £750,000 to each club in increased revenue? If we finish in the top ten, that's money we have to put towards another player in the summer."
"We also have an eye in the future on hopefully competing for a European place, but the way in which the club has to be run in the long term under the new UEFA Financial Fair Play scheme means that our running costs can't be solely dependent upon Ellis Short which means we have to slowly and surely build on what we are doing as a business.
"Hence the concerts coming to the Stadium of Light and the importance of season ticket sales, so we can ensure that as a club we are well run and stable for the future."
From out of these insights and plans, progress grows. Every football club that finished ahead of Sunderland this season has a firm financial footing away from any oligarch owner based on consistent growth and commercial gain.
Sunderland is an irrevocably different club to what it was five years ago as Quinn and Walton revealed through the ownership of Ellis Short, but the long-term aim is to ensure that financially this club is on a footing so that all will be balanced.
On the night, both Chairman and Chief Exec wheeled through the state of football in general, Sunderland's finances and where the team is hoping to go and faced tough questions from supporters concerning personal and general problems they have with the club.
However, to close the evening, a question from the audience brought one of the better anecdotes from Quinn's career as the history of his 'disco pants' came to light. But like much that was shared on the night between the chairman and chief executive with the life-blood of their club, some things are better left inside those four walls.
