From touchline rows to Charlie Methven: The moments you probably missed as Sunderland beat Swindon Town

We take a look at some of the moments you might have missed from the win at the County Ground – from killer passes to touchline rows, and keen youngsters to familiar faces in the crowd:

THE YOUNGSTER KEEN TO IMPRESS

It was a notable day for Oliver Younger, who was involved in a senior match day squad for the first time.

As he surveyed the pitch with Jack Diamond and Dan Neil prior to kick-off, you could tell he was keen to soak-up as much of the day as possible – and having been named on the bench, it will have proven to be a memorable occasion.

The summer arrival from Burnley has made a quick impact on Phil Parkinson and was invited to train with the first-team in recent weeks.

And he was keen to show his enthusiasm at Swindon.

It was telling that Younger was the first Sunderland player out to warm-up on the touchline – with his touchline jog coming while the clock was still in single digits.

Given Sunderland’s injury woes at the back, it would be no surprise to see Younger involved in further squads moving forward – and such enthusiasm can do his cause no harm.

TENSIONS ON THE TOUCHLINE

In empty stadiums, you can hear every word bellowed from the technical areas and dugouts.

Sadly, many of the more interesting parts can’t be published here due to their colourful content – but there were two real moments of tension on the sidelines at Swindon.

The first came when Chris Maguire looked to have knocked the ball around his marker only to see a hand connect with his face.

Referee Ben Toner waved play on, much to the dismay of Phil Parkinson and the Sunderland bench who were quick into the ear of the fourth official.

But they weren’t alone in voicing their disappointment in decisions after Swindon were denied a penalty in the second half.

Jack Payne went down, rather softly it must be said, under pressure from Luke O’Nien.

Toner again waved away appeals and it proved to be a crucial moment – with Sunderland breaking and scoring their second only moments later.

Swindon boss Richie Wellens had spent the opening stages of both halves in the stand but was quickly down to the touchline to contest what he felt was a wrong decision.

The focus of much of his ire was the linesman, who had a clear view of the incident.

Sadly, we didn't get to hear Wellens’ take on the incident post-match – with assistant manager Tommy Wright instead facing the press and giving a fairly diplomatic answer.

THE KILLER PASS THAT DECIDED THE GAME

In a game in which they dominated for the majority, there was only one brief period where Sunderland came under any real pressure – and that was at the start of the second half.

Swindon, buoyed by their double change at the break, pushed forward and started to ask some questions of the Black Cats.

But in one quick counter-attack, Sunderland added a second and wrapped-up the game.

And it was a killer pass from Max Power which set them on their way.

Much credit must go to Jack Diamond who retained the ball on the edge of the area, before finding Power – whose probing pass gave Maguire the space he needed to cut inside and draw the foul.

From that point on, there was only going to be one outcome.

Swindon’s pressure was nullified and Sunderland were en route to another three points, thanks largely to that superb through ball.

THE PENALTY DISCUSSIONS (OR LACK OF THEM)

I’m sure I won’t have been alone in expecting Grant Leadbitter to place the ball on the spot after Sunderland were awarded that second half penalty.

Under pressure against Peterborough, the midfielder dispatched a fine penalty and it would have been no surprise if he had stepped up from 12 yards at Swindon.

Yet while Leadbitter did initially pick the ball up, he quickly passed it on to Chris Maguire.

There were no discussions, no semblance of an argument over who would take the spot kick. The ball was always going to be Maguire’s.

He, of course, was not on the field of play when Leadbitter stroked home the penalty against the Posh – but has been a reliable presence from the spot since arriving at Sunderland.

And for the time being at least, he looks to be the Black Cats’ designated penalty taker.

FAMILIAR FACES IN ATTENDANCE

In the limited crowd that filtered into the County Ground, there were some recognisable faces.

Sunderland CEO Jim Rodwell was in attendance, while the Black Cats’ former head of recruitment Tony Coton was also present. Coton looked to be keeping an eye on Manchester United loanee Matej Kovar who started between the sticks for Swindon.

Also watching on, perhaps surprisingly, was Sunderland co-owner Charlie Methven.

Methven resigned as a director late last year and, while a regular attendee at home and away games before that point, hasn’t taken in as many fixtures in recent months having become a father.

But he and his family were in attendance at Swindon as he took advantage of the chance to take in the Black Cats in what is a fairly local game for the minority shareholder.

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