Lee Johnson’s men defeated Accrington Stanley in League One last night with goals from Charlie Wyke and half-time debutant Stewart securing a 2-0 win at The Wham Stadium.
Here, we take a look at the best, worst and most memorable Sunderland debuts in recent times.
Does anyone remember Milton Nunez's disaster against AFC Wimbledon or Michael Chopra’s winner against Tottenham?
Or how about Rade Prica’s goal-scoring Premier League debut against Birmingham City?
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1. Jan Kirchhoff at Tottenham (2016)
The former Bayern Munich defender suffered a horror show at White Hart Lane. After his introduction as a substitute at Tottenham, Kirchhoff deflected a shot into his own net and conceded a penalty as his relegation-threatened team lost 4-1 prompting Sam Allardyce to take the blame. Photo: Michael Regan
2. Rade Prica against Birmingham City (2008)
Sunderland completed the signing of Prica in January 2008 for a fee of more than £2 million on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He made an instant impact, scoring on his debut against Birmingham City and missed out on scoring a second with referee Mark Halsey ruling it out for handball. He would only make six appearances during his stay on Wearside. Photo: Matthew Lewis
3. Joel Asoro against Middlesbrough (2016)
Asoro made his professional debut in the league against Middlesbrough, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Duncan Watmore. However, in doing so Asoro became Sunderland's youngest Premier League player, as well as the youngest Swedish national to feature Photo: Nigel Roddis
4. Bali Mumba against Wolves (2018)
Mumba made his senior debut for Sunderland against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the last day of the 2017-18 Championship season with Sunderland already relegated. He came on as an 87th-minute substitute for captain John O'Shea, who handed him the captain's armband. Photo: Morgan Harlow