Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of Sunderland vs Coventry City from the Stadium of Light. Alex Neil's men make their long awaited Championship return after four years in League One when they take on Mark Robins' Sky Blues side.
Sunderland head into the clash on the back of a mixed pre-season after wins over Rangers and Dundee United, a draw with Hartlepool United and defeats to Accrington Stanley and Roma.
New signings Alex Bass, Dan Ballard, Aji Alese and Ellis Simms are all in line to make their debuts for the club and James Hunter is at the ground to bring you all the action as it happens, plus the post-match reaction and analysis.
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Key Events
FT. Sunderland 1-1 Coventry City
And that's that.
Sunderland were six minutes away from starting life back in the Championship with a win, but eventually Coventry's pressure told.
Jack Clarke's early goal put the Black Cats ahead, but a excellent individual goal from Viktor Gyokeres meant it finished honours even.
Both goalkeepers made excellent saves, and there were a couple of big missed chances, too.
Overall, though, Sunderland won't be too disappointed to get their first point on the board
84mins Sunderland 1-1 Coventry. Goal!
Gyokeres turns outside the box and skips past his man, before curling a shot from the edge of the D beyond Patterson and just inside the right-hand post
74mins Triple substitution for Coventry
ON - Tavares, Dabo, Walker
OFF - McFadzean, Eccles, Godden
59mins Save!
Stewart's flick-on releases Clarke down the left, he squares for Stewart and his shot is tipped over the bar by Moore. Great save
56mins
Brilliant challenge from Pritchard on Godden inside the Sunderland box, just as the Coventry man was about to shoot
53mins What a miss!
Sunderland get into a right old mess as Batth plays Neil into trouble on the edge of the box, he loses the ball and it comes to Godden inside the box 12 yards out but he sends his shot wide of the right-hand post. Coventry should be level - massive let-off for Sunderland
50mins Shot!
Great one-touch counter-attack from Sunderland, ends with Clarke teeing up Embleton inside the box but he fires high and wide. Deserved a better finish
⏱️ And we are back under way
Coventry kick-off the second half, Sunderland are attacking the North Stand end