Luton will be Sunderland's biggest test - and the fans have a major part to play

A midweek victory sees us just two wins away from Wembley, there are breakthroughs being made in the transfer market and a win tomorrow willmove us into the automatic promotion spots.

Yes, unlike some clubs, our biggest game of the season wasn’t on Tuesday night.

The big test for us comes this weekend when we host Luton Town. The Hatters have enjoyed a fine campaign so far, especially when you consider they’ve only just been promoted. How nice of them to go into meltdown and lose their manager just before the game then!

A quick read of any Luton supporters’ Twitter timeline or a glance at any fan forum will tell you just how highly regarded Nathan Jones was at Kenilworth Road. Apparently he was the glue holding everything together there and his decision to leave and join Stoke City has thrown major doubts over their promotion hopes.

This makes you feel like we’ve already got an edge going into the game.

The focus of the opposition players will have undoubtedly been thrown off, while Jack Ross and Co will have been driving forward with little distraction. In fact, our fringe players will have been given a little lift after a comfortable runout for them on Tuesday.

So you just know that every player in red and white will be raring to go, as are us fans. We have to play our part too. The crowds at the Stadium of Light have been fantastic this season, both in noise and number. If you can make it on Saturday, get yourself to the ground because this season, the fans really have made a difference in giving the lads that little push over the line.

Luton are bringing big numbers up themselves and will be looking to create a siege mentality after losing their manager, so we’ll need as many Sunderland voices as possible.

Make a day of it as well because the energy in the city itself has been on another level this season. You can even swing by the Peacock before the match to watch us host Darren Williams, who is always fantastic value. What more could you ask for?

It really does feel like a team full of players who give their all is injecting something special into Sunderland itself though and we can help that continue. It’s really not an exaggeration to say that if we go into the automatic promotion places this weekend, we could easily remain there for the rest of the campaign.

With our manager, supporters and a squad that will hopefully get even stronger this month, it could be all ours to lose.

So come and be a part of that, as the bond between club and supporter is so strong right now. It’s never more evident than when we win a game as the players can’t wait to make their way to all corners of the ground to show their appreciation and celebrate in unison with us.

Those celebrations might just be the biggest ones yet on Saturday.