Alex Neil’s side left it very, very late on Saturday but Nathan Broadhead’s strike gave the Black Cats a very welcome three points on home turf.
It was a win that lifted not just spirits on Wearside, but one that took Sunderland back into the playoff places.
31,619 people were in attendance at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, but where does that attendance rank across the whole country?
An almost full round of Premier League and Championship fixtures took place with many of the country's biggest sides in action.
Here, we take a look at which stadiums saw the highest attendances this weekend and where the attendance figure for Sunderland’s win against Gillingham ranks among the country’s elite:
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1. Portman Road - 26,515
26,515 people witnessed Ipswich’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Cambridge United on Saturday. An own goal from Dominic Thompson ten minutes into the second-half did the damage. Photo: Paul Harding
2. Cardiff City Stadium - 27,280
The majority of the 27,280 people in attendance in South Wales on Saturday would have gone home very dissatisfied after Cardiff were defeated 4-0 by their local rivals on home turf. Photo: Ryan Hiscott
3. Wembley Stadium - 30,688
30,688 people witnessed the Papa John’s Trophy final at Wembley on Sunday. A last-gasp Rotherham equaliser sent the game into extra-time before the Millers eventually ran-out 4-2 winners. Photo: Catherine Ivill
4. Molineux - 31.012
Wolves’ victory over local rivals Aston Villa was watched by 31,012 people on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Catherine Ivill