David Artell and his side travel to the Northeast on Saturday as they prepare to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The boss says playing in front of a bumper crowd is something that his side should look to relish.

The gaffer said: “A Partisan crowd can work both ways. Thirty thousand can work both ways towards our players. Fight or flight, do you run away, or do you go? We’ll find out Saturday.

“There’ll be four or five of them and maybe more that haven’t even played in front of a crowd that size, but how do you react? I don’t know the answer, but we’re going to find out. All of this is part of their development and I hope it brings the best out of them.”

“It’s one you want to play in and if you don’t want to play in front of a big crowd, big stadium, and good players in the opposition, then you’re in the wrong game. It’s a brilliant test for us."

It will be renewed acquaintances for the boss and Sunderland manager, Alex Neil who spent a couple of months in and around the first-team setup, he added: “Alex Neil will be a very good fit for them, I wish him all the best from six o’clock onwards on Saturday.”