Love for the Black Cats is back in Sunderland this season.

After two horrid seasons, Jack Ross’ side have finally got their act back together and are sitting comfortably in third place in the League One table.

With their next game against Barnsley being one of the biggest of the season and an EFL Trophy final coming up at the end of the month, it is an exciting time to be a Sunderland fan, and the latest attendance figures show fans of the club are returning to Black Cats games in their droves.

League One attendance figures show (via the Chronicle) that Sunderland are by far and away the biggest attended side in the division, with an average home attendance of 31,327, over 13,000 more than the second closest team, that being Portsmouth with 18,217.

The figures reveal a nearly 4,000 figure increase from what Sunderland averaged last season in the Championship, with the club attracting on average 27,635 home supporters per home game in the 2017/18 season.

As well as the highest average home attendance so far this season, the Stadium of Light has hosted the most fans in League One so far this season. The Black Cats have welcomed 563,891 home and away fans this season, with Portsmouth again way behind in second place with 327,914 fans in total.

The sharp increase in attendance is a result of a change of mood for Sunderland this season. After two miserable back-to-back relegations under the former owners, Stewart Donald’s tenure as Sunderland owner has been nothing but a breath of fresh air for the Black Cats faithful.

Home and away games are now atmospheric with Sunderland fans chanting and singing from the first whistle to the last, and the positive nature of the players and staff reflects this upturn of fortunes for the club.

Sunderland fans, how do you feel about the club this season?