THE DEN had fallen silent by the time Tony Mowbray emerged from the tunnel to offer his assessment on the raucous pandemonium that had surrounded Sunderland’s 1-1 draw against Millwall.

Gone was the cacophony of noise, the screaming bedlam that no ground in English football can match. Add to that an 18,524 sell-out that represented Millwall’s largest attendance this millennium and the pride was evident in Mowbray’s eyes that his young side had withstood the searing intimidation that howled down from three sides of The Den for 90 pulsating minutes.

The challenge had been met and matched. The Championship’s runaway top two, Sheffield United and Burnley, are the next visitors to this corner of south London. More relevantly for Sunderland’s play-off aspirations, Norwich, Luton and Blackburn have also to handle the Den's hostility before the season’s end.

For Mowbray, what counted in terms of his own's side visit was how his youngsters had fought for each other in another test of their maturation process.

It was not a day for time on the ball, so Amad Diallo, Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts had little opportunity to weave calm and measured patterns.

Beyond them, Joe Gelhardt navigated his Sunderland debut with industry rather than inspiration, thrust against the giant central defensive pairing of Charlie Cresswell and Jake Cooper.

In many ways, Dan Neil and Edouard Michut had the toughest assignments having to somehow repel the tidal wave of Millwall players flooding forward to meet flick-ons and rebounds, the consequence of the home side’s bombardment of balls into the Sunderland area.

Inevitably, some of the loose balls would lead to Millwall attempts on goal or penalty appeals amid the tangle of legs and bodies. The most convincing of those appeals was also the first when Tom Bradshaw looked as though he had been pulled back unfairly. It was waved away by referee Thomas Bramall, who stood up to the intimidation every bit as admirably as did the Sunderland players.

Mason Bennett dragged a shot wide, while Zian Flemming had an effort blocked. It was another Flemming shot that was spilled by Anthony Patterson in the 28th minute with the loose ball poked home by former Black Cat George Honeyman. Replays showed that George Saville had been in Patterson’s eyeline while standing in an offside position. With no VAR in the Championship, referee Bramall did remarkably well to make the right call with the help of his assistant.

Bennett shot over in another melee moments before collapsing under a challenge that saw him receive treatment alone on the pitch and then stretchered off while the players retreated to the dressing room.

The second half saw Millwall create better chances. From a Saville corner, Murray Wallace sent in a header floated which onto the top of the visitors’ bar. Four minutes later, a Dan McNamara ball inside was clipped first time by Honeyman, but his curling shot was clawed away by Patterson.

Sunderland’s reprieve lasted a matter of seconds. From the resulting corner, Cresswell headed downwards. The ball was blocked but fell kindly for Cooper, by this time on the floor, to scoop an awkward shot into the far corner.

Sunderland had to respond. Roberts surged through the middle on a mazy run while Millwall keeper George Long had to push away a dangerous looking cross from the right.

By now, Alex Pritchard had been introduced, the West Ham fan running a gauntlet of abuse from the home fans.

It was Pritchard’s 81st-minute free-kick that was headed home by fellow substitute Dennis Cirkin, a fraction of a second before Long’s attempt to punch it clear ended with him connecting with Cirkin’s jaw, knocking out the Sunderland player and ending his 18 minutes on the pitch.

That moment encapsulated the contest, Cirkin’s bravery mirroring that of his team under the most intense pressure.