Even though falling to the third tier was embarrassing for a club the size of Sunderland, the long suffering supporters will have enjoyed life in League One.
It’s a chance to experience new grounds for many and a more ‘real’ side to football, but more importantly they have seen their side win a lot of games.
Successive relegations came on the back of years of poor, dull performances and it’s clear that the club needed to reset and start again.
And, that’s what happened. Stewart Donald bought the club and gave everyone optimism and he appointed Jack Ross, a bright, young coach.
The team have been winning games, scoring goals and around 40,000 packed out Wembley for the Checkatrade Trophy Final, so there have been some great days out.
Unfortunately for the Black Cats, they happen to be in one of the most competitive title races League One has seen for a long time.
The harsh reality is that they could easily end up on 90 points this season and still finish fourth in the table! Even winning their three remaining games and ending up on 93 points may not be enough to grab second.
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So, whilst it would be hard to level any criticism to the players or management if they do get such a high points return, Sunderland simply have to get promoted.
The novelty of visiting new grounds and even winning games at this level will wear off quickly and they will realise that staying in the third tier means they’re getting left behind by others.
Most would agree that the Wearside outfit are a Premier League side in terms of fan base, history and the fine stadium they have but that counts for nothing.
We’ve seen Leeds United stay stuck in the League One before and Portsmouth and Sheffield United are other examples.
It would be wrong and arrogant to think that promotion will be a certainty next season for the Black Cats because football doesn’t work like that.
So, if Sunderland want to get back to where they feel they belong, promotion this season is a must because the longer you stay down there, the harder it is to get back.