George Honeyman reveals what he 'didn't like' about his first return to Sunderland

George Honeyman is set to make his second return to the Stadium of Light this evening - as Sunderland prepare to welcome Hull City.
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The academy graduate was sold to the Humberside outfit in the summer of 2019 and spent last season playing in the Championship, before becoming a key cog in the Hull side aiming to bounce back to the second tier at the first attempt during the current campaign.

And Honeyman is expected to start against the Black Cats in tonight's televised promotion clash in what will be the second time the 26-year-old has returned to the Stadium of Light.

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The first came in the Carabao Cup meeting between the pair in September, with Honeyman having admitted he didn’t like the fact the game was played in front of empty stands – given how used he is to the vocal Wearside.

George HoneymanGeorge Honeyman
George Honeyman

“We played Sunderland in the cup at the start of the year and I didn’t know what to expect,” said Honeyman, speaking to BBC Radio Humberside.

"After the game I didn’t like it. I’m used to playing at the Stadium of Light without fans in in-house games, but it was a weird experience in a competitive game with nobody there.

“When the fixtures came out and it was announced as Boxing Day, me being ever the optimist I was hoping we may have crowds back and Sunderland fans come out in their droves for Boxing Day games as most football fans do. I thought we may have 40,000 fans there. I’d prefer it was a full house.

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“I’m not sure it is an advantage, it can work both ways. We’re all used to empty seats now.

"We have only played in front of a crowd at Oxford and I felt the tempo went through the roof,” he continued.

"There were only 1,000 there but after playing in front of empty seats it felt like 100,000 was there.

“If someone told you that you would play your whole career like this it definitely doesn’t have the same appeal.

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“It’s what you dream of, playing in front of tens of thousands of fans and scoring a last minute winner. It would be nice to celebrate with fans after the game, you miss that side.”

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