'Unfortunate' – James Copley's Sunderland U21s player ratings vs Stoke City as player scores 3/10

Sunderland’s under-21s were back in Premier League 2 action at Eppleton CW as they faced Stoke City, looking to build on a recent draw and climb away from the lower reaches of the table.

The young Black Cats began the game sitting 23rd in the standings, having collected four points from their opening five matches, with one win, one draw and three defeats. Graeme Murty’s side had shown encouraging signs in recent performances but were still seeking greater consistency at both ends of the pitch.

Coming into the fixture, Sunderland had scored 13 goals – more than several teams above them – yet defensive lapses had proven costly. Stoke, meanwhile, arrived in 10th spot, having made a solid start to the campaign and looking to continue their push towards the top half. The contest provided another valuable test for Sunderland’s developing group as they aimed to translate promising build-up play into results.

Here, James Copley rates every Sunderland player after the game against Stoke City at Eppleton in the Premier League 2: