The 24-year-old forward has endured a tough 24 months due to knee injuries but he returned to action in an Under-23s game against Middlesbrough.
What began as a dismal year for Sunderland is on the way to ending on a high note.
Relegated from the Championship, mired in debt and on the brink of administration, the Black Cats were in a bad state just six months ago.
Fast-forward to November and Sunderland are in a much better place off the pitch and doing equally well on it – just four points off the top of League One, in fact.
Now the club has just received another major boost in the shape of a fan favourite making his return from a long-term layoff.
Duncan Watmore suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury during Sunderland’s 2-1 home win over Leicester City on 3 December 2016.
The 24-year-old was ruled out for almost a year before he returned last term, playing six games before suffering a reoccurance in November 2017.
On Monday night, Watmore played his first competitive minutes since last year’s draw against Millwall as he started in a Premier League 2 game against Middlesbrough.
The forward could have even capped off his return with a goal, but it wasn’t to be as his first-half penalty was saved by Brad James.
Nonetheless, Watmore completed 60 minutes before being replaced by Andrew Nelson, although the evening was to turn sour for the Wearsiders as they relinquished a one-goal lead to lose 3-1.
Despite the poor result, a number of Sunderland fans were pleased with Watmore’s return and took to Twitter to express their delight:
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
