When Martin Braithwaite put Boro 2-0 up with three minutes still to play in the first half of this Tees-Wear derby many of the 4,476 Sunderland fans headed for the exits.
Some will have seeked solace at the concourse bars. Others may have been tempted to call it an afternoon. You could not blame them.
Those loyal followers had already seen Rudy Gestede put Tony Pulis’s impressive hosts in front as this miserable period in the proud club’s history continues. The second goal may well have been enough to tip them over the edge and out of the door.