Jermain Defoe returned to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday evening, making the trip from Glasgow to watch his former side draw with Burton.
It was a crucial game for Jack Ross' side, with the Black Cats chasing promotion back to the Championship.
And the point they gained in drawing with Nigel Clough's side ensured they moved back up to second position - a point ahead of Barnsley with a game in hand.
Defoe left the Wearside club in the summer of 2017 following relegation from the Premier League. But in two-and-a-half years at the Stadium of Light the striker made himself a hero at the club - and also found national acclaim for his heart-warming relationship with brave Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery.
Clearly the club got under Defoe's skin too - with the now-Rangers striker making use of a free evening to travel back to Sunderland to support the Lads in such a crucial game.
Posting on his Instagram story ahead of the match, Defoe simply captioned the image: 'Ha'way the Lads,' and followed that up with a heart emoji.
But Defoe struggled to just relax and enjoy his return too much. In an open and entertaining 90 minutes of football, Defoe spent large parts of the game directing traffic from the executive seats in the Premier Concourse.
With his career in its final stages, Defoe looked very much like a man whose studying of the game could see him coach players in the future as he was regularly animated from his seat suggesting instructions, albeit a long way from pitchside on this ocassion.
Defoe isn't the only ex-Black Cat to make an appearance at the Wearside ground this season. A host of ex-heroes have made appearances at the Stadium of Light to take in the club's rebuild under new ownership, including Kevin Phillips and former loannee and England international Danny Rose.
How Danny Rose spent a rare weekend off shows why he still loves Sunderland
Kevin Phillips looking forward to Sunderland return - where he can be a fan, rather than foe
