Burnley’s trip to the Stadium of Light marks a special occasion for Clarets’ stopper Tom Heaton.
The goalkeeper made his England debut on Wearside as the Three Lions faced Australia, with Heaton returning to the SoL on Saturday for the first time since the Euro 2016 warm-up clash.
On Saturday, the 30-year-old will be in the away dugout as Sean Dyche’s side travel to Wearside in search of a first Premier League win away from home.
And speaking ahead of the game, Heaton revealed he has holds a special place for the Stadium of Light before previewing Saturday’s match-up.
“It was fantastic – I have very fond memories of it – and it’s the first time I’ve been back there since my England debut so I’m very fond of it.
“The lads give me plenty of grief for the six minutes and two touches, but it was a big six minutes for me and I really enjoyed it.”
He continued: “There are ten games left and it’s important we go and kick on from here – there’s no patting anyone on the back here and there’s a lot of work still to be done.
“We’re embracing the journey and we want to see where he can go, so there’s no resting on laurels or anything like that and we are trying to step on and keep moving up that table.
“Obviously, we’re trying to get that win away from home, but the performances have been much better of late and we’ve probably been on the wrong side of a few fine margins.
“We have lot of confidence that if we keep putting performances in and nudging those forward then a result is just around the corner.
“Hopefully it will be this weekend.”