A strong Sunderland side ran out comfortable winners at The EnviroVent Stadium, putting four past Town with no reply.
With the announcement the fixture would be played behind closed doors coming the night before, what would have been a great atmosphere was replaced by a silent, near empty EnviroVent Stadium.Elliot Embleton got things going for the Black Cats with an early brace, with Carl Winchester adding a third to ensure the win was only going one way by half time.
Simon Weaver used the second half to make changes and get his squad further up to speed ahead of the season start in two weeks, but couldn't prevent the visitors adding a fourth through Ellis Taylor.
The Harrogate boss had made seven changes from his side's midweek outing against Rotherham, with Ryan Fallowfield involved for the first time since the first fixture of pre-season against Huddersfield.
There was a familiar face in the Black Cats lineup with former Town loanee returning to The EnviroVent Stadium to take on his former teammates.
Town started to threaten as the contest approached the ten minute mark, and Alex Pattison was at the heart of it, getting three shots in within two minutes, one forced a save, one missed the target and one was deflected behind for a corner.
It was the visitors who took the lead though as Elliot Embleton was given space to maraud through the middle of the pitch and find the bottom corner in the 12th minute.
Embleton claimed his second of the afternoon just four minutes later after his left footed effort took a wicked deflection off Lewis Page and looped over Mark Oxley.
Luke Armstrong went close to halving the deficit on two occasions, heading wide from Fallowfield's cross before firing agonisingly across the face of goal.
Sunderland were in confident mood and added a third five minutes before the break, Carl Winchester applying the finish to a move sparked by the kind of quick feet from Diamond that made him so popular at Wetherby Road.
The second half began with chances for the visitors, but Oxley denied Ross Stewart when through on goal, before relying on second half substitute Warren Burrell to clear the striker's effort off the line moments later.
Sunderland's fourth arrived in the 68th minute as Ellis Taylor's cross took a deflection, looping awkwardly over Oxley who couldn't palm the ball away.
Town's best hope of registering on the scoresheet came 13 minutes from time as Armstrong's flick released Jack Muldoon, but the forward dragged his finish wide.
Town: Oxley, Fallowfield, Page (Sheron 61), Falkingham (Orsi 71), Smith, Thomson, Martin (Muldoon 60), Pattison (Kerry 60), McArdle (Burrell 45), Armstrong, Trialist (Power 55)
Subs not used: Cracknell
Sunderland: Patterson (Burge 46), Winchester (Dyce 70), Doyle (Younger 60), Flanagan (Richardson 70), Neil, Evans (Wilding 60), O'Nien, Diamond (Hawkes 80), Embleton (Taylor 60), O'Brien (Kimpioka 60), Stewart (Grigg 60).
Goals: Embleton 12, 16, Winchester 40, Taylor 68
Attendance: 0
Referee: D Webb