Tommy Watson started for Sunderland against Blackburn Rovers on Monday afternoon

You knew it was coming well before it actually happened. As the names of Sunderland’s largely second-string starting XI boomed around the Stadium of Light prior to kick-off against Blackburn Rovers on Easter Monday, you could almost feel the boos and the heckles brewing until, at the utterance of “Number 40, Tommy Watson”, they were unleashed in a cascading eruption of dissent and disdain.

There has been a pantomime-like quality to the manner in which the young winger has been treated ever since it was confirmed that he will be leaving his boyhood club to join Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion come the end of the campaign. In the eyes of many, Watson is now a villain, and the vocal reaction of supporters over the past three weeks or so have conspicuously reflected his newfound unpopularity amongst large swathes of the fanbase.

Indeed, the atmosphere surrounding the teenager has grown so palpable that head coach Regis Le Bris even felt the need to address it during a pre-match interview. "Tommy is an important player in our squad,” he said. “We need everyone available, everyone at their best level. We need to support him. We understand the fans because they love their club, but we need positive energy around the club. He is going to be important in this period. Tommy can help off the left, off the right, he is a player who in the future could help us for 10, 15 minutes, maybe more... we'll see. We need positive energy in the stadium [for Tommy] because we need everyone."

And somewhat unexpectedly, after that opening salvo of jeers and jibes, it would appear that Le Bris got his wish. Kind of. I was out on the terraces on Monday afternoon - because what better way is there to spend a day off from writing about Sunderland than watching Sunderland? - and couldn’t help but notice that as the contest wore on, hostility towards Watson softened markedly. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was better.

Partway through the first half, the Black Cats were awarded a corner out on the left, and as the wide man trotted over dutifully to deliver an in-swinging ball, he was met with a swell of applause and encouragement. For his part, Watson returned the gesture, clapping supporters before lining up his set-piece. A little later on, the attacker launched his wiry frame into a full-blooded sliding tackle - rattling the shins of his opponent in the process - much to the glee of the bloke sat next to me. “That’s the first good thing he’s done in weeks”, he quipped through a smirk.

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And I think in some respects, my neighbour might have inadvertently stumbled onto the crux of the issue. The timing of the announcement of Watson’s departure was always likely to rankle, but it has been made all the more galling in the opinions of many because it has coincided with a notable dip in form from the winger.

To that end, Watson can perhaps consider himself a touch unfortunate. We are talking about a player who is still very much finding his feet in senior football, and who was inevitably going to experience peaks and troughs during his proper debut season in the first team. Then, of course, there is the fact that he is still playing his way back to full match sharpness following a lengthy stint on the treatment table. But because it is now public knowledge that he is set to depart, a lean spell that has more than likely been caused by a combination of ring rust and greenness has instead been attributed to a lack of effort and desire by many naysayers.

That feels like a harsh assessment, and while he didn’t exactly pull up any trees against Blackburn, the hope will be that his most positive performance in several weeks will go some way towards persuading supporters that he is still bothered, and that he does still have a part to play for Sunderland this season. Judging by the diminished barracking he received as he left the pitch to be replaced by Patrick Roberts in the 78th minute, Watson might be able to convince his doubters yet.

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