Football kits, them glorious outfits those athletic buggers wear for nine months of the year. But how do you go about launching one? Rather than the monotonous image of a player looking mean and moody, we thought why not put the fans in the spotlight?

With the shirt baring a resemblance to the first striped garment the club wore in 1887, we introduced the 2017-18 home kit through a grass roots football match at Ashbrooke Sports Ground, a former 19th century home of the Black Cats.

Having scored a hat-trick in the match, striker Robbie Bird also received a canny surprise in the form of a boot deal from kit supplier adidas.