Sheffield United fans could face strict rules at Sunderland tonight

Stoke City supporters, who visited the ground earlier this month, were told coins, power banks and vapes are prohibited from being taken through the turnstiles as “a condition of entry under ground regulations”. The ruling prompted an angry response from many of those who had travelled to watch the fixture, with many arguing that they were required to pay cash for match programmes. Confiscated money was collected by stewards and then donated to a charity of the visiting team’s choice.

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A statement issued by Sunderland during the build-up to the contest argued the step, combined with the implementation of enhanced security and CCTV systems, had prompted an “extremely positive impact upon away supporter conduct”.

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United make the journey to the North-East second in the Championship table but hoping to arrest a disappointing run of form which has raised hope among those teams hoping to pip them to an automatic promotion berth. Last weekend’s defeat by Luton Town was the fourth time they have lost in six league outings, with manager Paul Heckingbottom reminding United followers they have a crucial role to play in his squad’s push for the top-flight.

Sunderland ended a run of three straight losses when they beat Norwich City at Carrow Road on Sunday, with Abdoullah Ba scoring the only goal of the contest after a quarter-of-an-hour.