Sunderland will hope to boost their push for promotion back into the Premier League with a positive result at Preston North End on Wednesday night.
In what has been a season full of memorable moments, Deepdale actually provided the setting for one of the very few negatives as the Black Cats exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle with a 2-0 defeat in the opening week of the season.
Since then, Regis Le Bris has suffered just two defeats as Sunderland have marched to the top of the Championship table and they still hold a three-point advantage at the top of the table after battling to a share of the spoils with ten men at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The Black Cats’ form has sparked genuine hopes a return to the top flight is a realistic target this season - but how many points could Sunderland need to claim promotion? We take a look back at the last 13 seasons to see the tallies racked up by promoted clubs during that time.
9. 2015/16: 89 points
Winners: Burnley 93 points - Runners Up: Middlesbrough 89 points | Getty Images
10. 2015: 89 points
Winners: Bournemouth 90 points - Runners Up: Watford 89 points | Getty Images
11. 2013/14: 93 points
Winners: Leicester City 102 points - Runners Up: Burnley 93 points | Getty Images
12. 2012/13: 79 points
Winners: Cardiff City 87 points - Runners Up: Hull City 79 points Photo: CameraSport - Ian Cook