Simon Grayson is determined to make a winning return to the Stadium of Light when Sunderland host Leeds United on Saturday (KO 5.30pm).
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The Black Cats boss has overseen an unbeaten start to the campaign with two draws and one win complimenting a further victory over Bury in the Carabao Cup.
Leeds, who Grayson played for and managed, have also made an unbeaten start, with an opening-day win over Bolton Wanderers followed by a cup win over Port Vale and successive league draws against Preston North End and Fulham.
Grayson, though, is far more concerned with his players than the Whites, as he seeks to get the SoL rocking again.
“It seems a long time since the Derby game so it’ll be nice to get back to the Stadium of Light and get the supporters back in their seats.
“It’s an unbelievable atmosphere when it gets going and the Derby game highlighted that, because I thought the supporters were excellent and hopefully come Saturday – and throughout the season – they come in their numbers and make it a difficult place for the opposition to come.”
He continued: “If you have a full stadium it can be an intimidating atmosphere and it can really inspire the players.
“It’s where you want to win most of your matches because you’ve got the nucleus of your supporters there and you want them to buy into your ideas, so we want to get the numbers back, get the team playing well and let the supporters see the team playing with the pride and passion this club deserves.
“These are the games the players want to be involved in and look forward to because it’ll be a great atmosphere and Leeds have a big following.
“It’ll be a tough game because they’ve started the season well and they’re also unbeaten, so we know what to expect and I watched them on Tuesday night.
“It’s a game we want to enjoy, thrive in and want to keep our run going.”