Free green away shirt for Sunderland fans at West Ham

And the club plan a photograph of a sold-out Sunderland section all in green at Upton Park.

The club website says: “To thank their fan for such tremendous backing, every Sunderland fan at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday will be given a 2015-16 away shirt courtesy of Sunderland AFC, with club staff inside the ground handing out the vibrant green away shirts to fans as they arrive.

“In order to ensure that every fan receives their shirt, the cub is asking supporters to arrive at the ground as early as possible on the morning of game, with turnstiles open from 11.15am for the 12.45pm kick-off.

“Supporters are also asked to take their seats slightly earlier than usual, ensuring that that they are wearing their shirts, so that a photograph can be taken of the whole away end just before kick-off.”

Captain John O’Shea saluted the loyalty of the travelling support, with a 12th sell-out in 14 away Premier League matches this term.

He said: “It’s astounding how many of our fans travel to away games to support us. Even games like Crystal Palace on a Monday night and Saturday’s early kick-off at West Ham, which are not easy games to get to from Wearside, still see full away ends which is just brilliant. On behalf of all of the lads I would like to thank our fans for their unstinting support, which truly does make a difference.”