WHEN Jack Ross agreed to manage Sunderland this summer, he always felt he was taking over at one of the biggest clubs in Britain. This afternoon, that assessment will be well and truly vindicated.

Sunderland will host Bradford City in front of a crowd of more than 43,000 at the Stadium of Light. The attendance will be the biggest recorded in the third tier of English football for almost 40 years, and will set a new record for League One in its current guise.

These have been a difficult few years for the Black Cats, with the trauma of back-to-back relegations having been graphically exposed to the nation via a recent documentary on Netflix. However, the scale and prestige of the club has not been diminished.

There are not many clubs in Europe that could attract more than 40,000 fans to one of their home games, let alone achieve the feat in the third tier of their domestic system, a matter of days after crashing to a 3-1 defeat. Sunderland are about to do exactly that, and Ross will regard it as a huge honour when he leads his side into action this afternoon.

“I potentially had the opportunity to manage in the league above this, so coming to this league to manage was all about this club,” said the Sunderland boss, who turned down the opportunity to take over at Ipswich Town in order to lead the Black Cats. “Days like this, and there’s been loads already, just remind me what a privilege to manage this club irrespective of what happens in my tenure here. It's a big deal to do it.

“Every manager should look upon it that way because it is a massive club, and this just reflects that. There's not that many clubs around the country you could manage which attracts that size of fanbase, and then you look at New Year's Day and the numbers that will be travelling (to Blackpool) too.

“There's only a handful of clubs that can do that. It’s a reminder of the privilege of doing it, and it’s a constant reminder of the expectations on my shoulder because of that, but you can’t have the good stuff without the pressure as well.”

Today’s attendance will not only be a reflection of Sunderland’s enduring status within the English game, it will also underline the effectiveness of the new approach instigated by Ross, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven.

Whereas previous Sunderland regimes have sought to shut themselves away from the supporters, the club’s new leaders are keen to be as open and accessible as possible. That has enabled fans to feel as if they have rediscovered ‘their club’ again, and means blips such as last weekend’s defeat at Portsmouth do not have the kind of destructive impact that can sometimes be the case when clubs encounter setbacks as they are attempting to rebuild.

There was a vignette on Saturday night that sums up the sense of unity that is powering the Black Cats as they look to start anew. Having pulled in to Woodall Services on the Sunderland team coach, Ross found himself standing alongside one of the supporters’ buses that was returning from Fratton Park. He strode on to chat to the fans, sparking a social media frenzy and a host of warm words.

“It was just as I was walking back to our team coach,” said Ross. “Their bus was just getting ready to leave. I’ve done things like this in the past. It was an opportunity for me, it’s not often you get that personal contact with supporters.

“I just thanked them for their effort in travelling, and also for their effort over the course of the season. I hope it was received in the right way. There might have been a few thinking he didn’t know what he was talking about after we’d lost the game on Saturday, but it’s part of my job. I genuinely didn’t think anything of it.”

Nevertheless, Ross’ desire to engage with supporters is indicative of the new approach that has enabled the current regime to draw a line under the failings of the past. Whereas Netflix documentary, ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’, shows Simon Grayson and Chris Coleman wrestling unsuccessfully with a failing institution, Ross has taken over at a time of positive change.

“Part of the decision to come here was based on all the circumstances around the timing of it,” said Ross. “I felt it was an opportunity to get it going in the right direction because of this new beginning.

“There's still an awful lot goes on behind the scenes because it's still a period of transition, but the timing was attractive in that respect because I knew it was giving me at least a chance.”

Charlie Wyke returns to the Sunderland squad for the first time since mid-September this afternoon, but is expected to start on the bench with Chris Maguire having been passed fit to start.

Glenn Loovens will miss the next two weeks after injuring himself in the tackle that led to his dismissal at Portsmouth, but Ross is hoping Tom Flanagan will be able to return to the back four.

Sunderland (probable, 4-3-3): McLaughlin; O’Nien, Flanagan, Baldwin, James; Honeyman, Cattermole, Power; Maguire, Maja, McGeady.