Fan blog: Why it's time for more Sunderland youngsters to be in the first team

On May 17th 2017, 18,317 Sunderland supporters descended onto the Stadium of Light for one of the biggest games in the club’s under-23 history.
The Academy of Light.The Academy of Light.
The Academy of Light.

Despite the game ending 5-0 in the favour of the Portuguese visitors, it was a great experience for most of the Sunderland fans to watch how their club’s academy system was progressing and it was also a great moment for the players to experience what it feels like to play in front of a large crowd in a big stadium.

The side that played Porto included the likes of Lynden Gooch, Denver Hume, Elliot Embleton, Joel Asoro and Josh Maja - all who featured in the Sunderland side in the last couple of years.

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This creates a great contrast between the current academy system and the one that was involved in the Premier League Cup final three years ago.

Last season, neither the U18s or the U23s were able to record a win in either of their divisions, with the U23s the only side to stamp a point onto the board.

This season is quite the reverse for the U23s, but the U18s still have work to do. The U23s have already won three matches out of six, with lots of first team players being given minutes for the youth side to help their development and injury process.

At the start of the season, Phil Parkinson said youngsters from the youth sides would be given a chance in the first team set-up, but so far, Jack Diamond is the only player to come near the starting XI.

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Now, the time has come for some of the youngsters to be involved with the first team, but they must also keep improving the U23 and U18 sides.

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