This is the type of reception Charlie Wyke is expecting from Sunderland fans ahead of return with Wigan Athletic
Wyke netted 31 goals for Sunderland last season before moving to the North West and signing a bumper contract with promotion rivals Wigan Athletic on a free transfer.
And he will now come up against his former club in the opening day of the new League One campaign as Lee Johnson’s side look to get off to a winning start as they bid for promotion at the fourth attempt.
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Hide AdAhead of the game, Wyke said: “There’s obviously no better start to the season for me and Max, going back to Sunderland.
“I’m delighted to be at this club, and no matter who we were playing, my first game would be special.
“But this obviously adds that little bit of spice to it.
“They’ve been tipped to do well this season, probably one of the biggest clubs in the league.
“It is a tough start for us, but as a player you want to play in these games.
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Hide Ad“There’ll be around 35,000-40,000 people there, which will make for a fantastic atmosphere.
“That’ll mean there’s 35,000-40,000 people not on my side this time!
“But I’m just looking forward to it,” Wyke told Wigan Today.
There was interest from the Championship and from Celtic but Wyke opted for Wigan.
“I know I’ve made the right decision coming here,” he said.
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Hide Ad“And I’ve really enjoyed the first few weeks here, the way we want to play suits my game perfectly.
“You look at the options we have up front – even some of the lads who haven’t featured in the games – and it bodes well for the season.
“We’ve got some serious options up top, and we just want to keep everyone fit and make sure there’s as many options open to the manager as possible.”
Wyke hopes to at least match his goal tally this season.
“The ball was coming into the box from every angle, and I managed to get on the end of a lot and scored 30-odd goals.
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Hide Ad“Hopefully it’ll be the same again this season, you always want to better yourself so that’s the aim.”