116 insane pictures of Sunderland fans at Stadium of Light before dramatic Coventry City second leg - gallery

Sunderland fans once again proved why they’re among the most passionate in the country with a stunning show of support ahead of their Championship play-off semi-final second leg against Coventry City.

Thousands of supporters lined the streets surrounding the Stadium of Light hours before kick-off, creating an electrifying atmosphere as they waited for the team bus to arrive. Flares lit up the sky in red and white, chants echoed around the stadium approaches, and flags were waved proudly as the players made their way into the ground.

It was a scene that wouldn’t have looked out of place in some of Europe’s biggest footballing cities. For many of the players, including captain Dan Neil, the scale of the welcome was a once-in-a-career experience. Neil later described the scenes as something he had only ever witnessed on TV, likening the atmosphere to that of Liverpool’s iconic European nights.

Inside the ground, the intensity didn’t drop. Over 46,000 fans packed into the Stadium of Light to roar their team on, creating a deafening wall of noise from the first whistle to the last. Every tackle, pass and shot was met with thunderous backing, with the crowd playing a vital role in driving Sunderland toward a 3-2 aggregate victory overall.

Here, we take a look at the best photos of fans outside of the ground ahead of the game: