'I can see why...' - Sunderland figure reacts to viral academy clip of 'great' moment
Sunderland U18s have been widely praised on social media following a sublime goal against Stoke City at the weekend
Sunderland academy coach Fin Lynch has admitted that he “can see why” the club’s U18s have been going viral on social media in recent days following their stunning team goal against Stoke City at the weekend.
The Black Cats extended their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 4-3 win over the Potters, courtesy of a Marcus Neill brace and goals from Aaron Chung and Jaydon Jones. Undoubtedly the pick of the bunch, however, was Jones’ effort, with the midfielder - who recently made his debut for Graeme Murty’s U21s - finishing off an intricate passing move in emphatic style.
In the days since, Sunderland’s impressive passage of play has been shared far and wide online, and reflecting on the strike, Lynch has suggested that it is no great surprise - and that he is pleased to see the Black Cats’ youngsters produce such a positive brand of football.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
Speaking to the club’s in-house media, he said: “I have seen the goal clip has gone viral. I can see why. It’s a great flowing move that sums up the hard work these lads put into committing to the way we play as a club. This is the playing style we try to implement each week throughout all our age groups, and it is nice to see the results of it.”
Looking back on the game itself, he added: “Overall, our second half performance I was really pleased with. In the first half, I thought that it was a bit of a scrappy game from both teams, giving the ball away, but we obviously had a conversation at half time, and the lads reacted. It’s what we wanted and some very good goals again today, which we are really pleased with.
“We knew what Stoke would be about, we knew they would be direct and have good forward runners, and we found it difficult to deal with them at the beginning, but credit where it’s due, the lads have shown great character to come back in, and get back into the game and go on to win it.”
Lynch also reserved praise for the aforementioned Neill, who came into the starting XI to replace Finn Geragusian, with the Armenian U19 international sidelined due to a slight knock. He said: “Marcus is a very good goal poacher in and around the box - a great finisher. For his first goal, he made a good forward run to finish bottom corner.
“We knew if we created, we would score goals when Marcus is in and around the box and we would give the defenders problems, and it gives other players chances to time runs into the box, but overall, we are pleased with the goals we’ve scored today.”