Tomorrow’s forty sixth and final game of what’s mainly been a dreadful season for Sunderland will tie up some loose ends as we return to the Stadium of Light for (mercifully, some could say) the final time before the summer break.

Despite the Lads having little to play for other than pride and the potential of minutes for exciting rookie winger Tommy Watson, the game is far from unimportant, not least for the 2,000+ travelling fans who’ll be in attendance.

In the first case, it might well be the day on which Sheffield Wednesday complete their own version of the ‘Great Escape’, with Danny Röhl’s side requiring only a point to clinch their second tier survival. Indeed, they might not even need to achieve that, assuming results elsewhere go their way.

For the Owls and their German alchemist of a head coach, it would be a spectacular turnaround.

Indeed, if they were to beat us and end a scant three points shy of our total, it would just about sum up the way in which our season has turned sour in recent months, as well as being an outcome that appeared inconceivable when we strolled past them at Hillsborough earlier in the season.

Closer to home, tomorrow also marks Mike Dodds’ final game in charge after a three-month spell that’s consisted of press conferences conducted in the third person, peculiar team selections, ropey performances, underwhelming results, and Dodds himself seldom looking comfortable with leading the team, even in an interim capacity.

Few will be unhappy to see his term as caretaker leader come to an end, and the fact that he was parachuted in following Michael Beale’s exit was emblematic of the convoluted thinking that’s gone a great way towards fouling up our season. The players might’ve been lovely and comfortable under ‘Doddsy’, but the fans certainly haven’t been.

However, to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, ‘We’ll always have The Hawthorns, the Cardiff City Stadium, and the night on which we bored Leeds United stiff at Elland Road, grinding out a point in the process’.

It is quite unlikely that we will have an emotional goodbye to Dodds or Mason Burstow, similar to Ingrid Bergman’s farewell. The club’s management is aware that finding a permanent replacement for Michael Beale is urgent, and they aim to reach a quick resolution. After the final whistle, it is crucial to start working diligently, considering the immense challenge that lies ahead this summer.

However, Wednesday’s potential survival, Dodds exiting stage left and even the possibility of Jack Clarke bidding farewell to Sunderland (and signing off with a goal, perhaps?) all pale into insignificance when the real story of tomorrow’s game is considered, and that’ll be Sunderland fans uniting to mourn the passing of Charlie Hurley and to celebrate the legacy of man they called ‘The King’.

Many people have heard stories about Hurley’s strength and commitment to the red and white cause. These stories have been passed down from one generation to the next. Even if you never witnessed their impressive performances firsthand, you can still understand their significant impact through the accounts of those who were lucky enough to see them play, such as our Roker Report colleague Kelvin Beattie.

Upon learning of Hurley’s demise last week, my initial point of contact was my father. Born in 1957, he grew up watching the Irishman gracing the turf at Roker Park and taking no prisoners- something of which I’ll always be extremely jealous.

I inquired about the old man’s perspective on the player who was voted as our ‘player of the century’ in 1979, knowing that he still holds a great affection for the Sunderland heroes of his boyhood and is not hesitant to speak his views.

‘Class,’ he responded succinctly, and that is a significant compliment coming from him, I assure you.

Hopefully, our present players will muster some of the resilience and resolve exemplified by Hurley tomorrow, thus concluding the challenging season on a positive note for the fans.

The year 2023/2024 will not be remembered positively by anyone who supports a team with red and white colors. However, Charlie Hurley will always be remembered in a positive light.

Considering this, it is crucial for the team to prioritize regaining their confidence as we honor one of Sunderland’s most esteemed players. If Dan Ballard can emulate Hurley’s technique by forcefully heading the ball into the net to score the first goal or secure the win, it would be highly advantageous.

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