A drive south of the border to watch Sunderland AFC play Bradford City in their last group game of the Papa John's Trophy.
Having been to the Stadium of Light before (albeit for a concert), I was impressed with the structure and looking forward to attending my first football match at the ground.
Unfortunately, it was an underwhelming experience. One stand was open for those in attendance, and it was nowhere near full.
The game itself got off to a slow start, with both teams jostling for possession in the middle of the park.
The first real chance came when Sunderland's Elliot Ambleton, had his shot deflected and saved by Sam Hornby.
Bradford City would take the lead on the 36th minute, coming from a corner that would be partially cleared.
Staunton beat his man out wide before laying it off for Robinson to score.
Sunderland started the second half with strong intent, and it took them seven minutes to find the equaliser through a well taken goal by Broadhead.
The game carried on in the middle of the park, until the 70th minute. Sunderland's Dajaku was through one-on-one, forcing a great save by Hornby. The ball fell to Will Harris who had his header blocked on the line by Staunton.
Sunderland had a great chance to grab the winner in the last minute, when Pritchard rattled the crossbar with a free-kick from the edge of the box.
The final whistle went, ending 1-1. With this being a Papa John's Group Tie, the match went to penalties.
The shootout would be irrelevant in terms of where the teams would finish in the table, but would define who got the extra point.
Both teams failed to score their opening penalties. Bradford would score their four remaining spot kicks, with Sunderland failing to score on another occasion. Bradford win 4-2 on penalties.
It's clear to see that Sunderland haven't recovered from the catastrophic back-to-back relegations, five years ago. This one club city, was almost like a ghost town, in a sad state of affairs.
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