The one thing missing from a remarkable and record-breaking afternoon at the Stadium of Light as incoming Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus watched on

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus caused quite the stir among the Sunderland fanbase when he made his first public appearance away at Shrewsbury Town.
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A clear sign the takeover is moving in the right direction, with the EFL going through their final checks.

That was backed up with further appearances at the Stadium of Light and the Academy of Light this week in the build-up to the visit of Doncaster Rovers.

And it was a remarkable afternoon on Wearside.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus watches on.Kyril Louis-Dreyfus watches on.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus watches on.
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A thumping 4-1 win, four Charlie Wyke goals, four Aiden McGeady assists, four headers, two Lee Burge penalty saves and the first time a Sunderland player has netted four goals in one game in the history of the Stadium of Light.

The game had everything, even a booking for Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson.

Mind, one notable thing was missing. The fans. Can you imagine what the noise would have sounded like when the fourth header hit the net?

The Stadium of Light would have been shaken to its foundations. It was a real shame for Wyke that he didn't receive the standing ovation his quartet of headers deserved, or McGeady when he departed after a stunning individual display.

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Louis-Dreyfus, who strode out of the tunnel ahead of kick-off for a brief closer look at his new surroundings, had a front row seat for the action on the pitch.

The first time he has made a public appearance at the Stadium of Light.

A stunning Sunderland performance will have no doubt left him highly encouraged that automatic promotion remains firmly on the agenda for the Black Cats this season.

He will have got a clear sense of the size and scale of the club during his latest trip to Wearside, it’s just a shame the fans weren’t there to welcome him with warm and open arms.

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There is no indication yet of when that may be, it may well be not until next season that supporters are allowed back inside football stadiums.

We shall have to wait and see on that front with everyone itching for life to return to some sort of normality once it is safe to do so.

But one thing is for sure, if it is next season, then everyone will be hoping they are watching Championship football when they are allowed back through the turnstiles.

Sunderland dominated Doncaster Rovers, McGeady was unstoppable and Wyke continues his incredible run of goalscoring form.

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The standard has been firmly set now, the challenge, once the semi-final of the Papa John’s Trophy is out the way, is to produce that standard of play consistently every week.

Do that and Sunderland will be in with a strong shout of the top two but finding that consistency has proved a struggle since the club dropped into the third tier.

It was certainly exciting to watch and Louis-Dreyfus - if he hadn’t already - will have an even clearer picture of the potential of Sunderland AFC with high hopes for a much brighter future.

The fans, who sadly weren’t there to witness this most remarkable of wins, deserve that.

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