Sunderland injury scare, Alex Pritchard’s frustration and other moments you may have missed in Hartlepool loss

A rotated and somewhat cobbled-together Sunderland side suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat at Hartlepool - resulting in some slight cause for concern ahead of the new Championship campaign.

Of course this was only a pre-season friendly and head coach Mowbray made 11 changes following Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Real Mallorca - when he played what could be perceived as his strongest team.

Yet Sunderland’s lack of depth in certain areas showed against Hartlepool at the Suit Direct Stadium, with the visitors looking short in attack and stretched at the back.

Here are some of the main takeaways and moments you may have missed from the match:

Lynden Gooch moved into midfield

With Mowbray looking to give game time to players who didn’t start against Real Mallorca, the Black Cats boss changed his side’s system to fit people in.

It meant Sunderland started with a back three of Zak Johnson, Danny Batth and Nectarios Triantis, with Lynden Gooch and Ellis Taylor operating as wing-backs.

Niall Huggins, Chris Rigg and Alex Pritchard were then deployed in midfield behind Abdoullah Ba and Jewison Bennette.

The experimental system didn’t last long, though, with Hartlepool going 3-1 up inside 22 minutes.

That prompted a change of shape to a back four, with Gooch moving into a holding midfield role - where Huggins had started - to give the team a better structure.

Clearly the move isn’t a long-term solution, yet Jay Matete’s injury, as well as Corry Evans’ absence, could leave Sunderland short in central midfield.

Another injury scare

Sunderland were forced to make a change at half-time as 16-year-old goalkeeper Mathew Young suffered a concussion, following a clash with Hartlepool forward Josh Umerah.

That meant Anthony Patterson was brought on at the break, with Mowbray reluctantly exposing his first-choice keeper less than a week before Sunday’s Championship opener.

Sunderland are short of senior keeper options following Alex Bass’ loan move to AFC Wimbledon but are set to announce the signing of Nathan Bishop from Manchester United.

The Black Cats were also without Luke O’Nien due to a personal reason and Jenson Seelt, who is still managing an ongoing ankle issue.

Alex Pritchard’s frustration

If anyone did enough to give themselves a chance of playing against Ipswich on Sunday, it was probably Pritchard.

The 30-year-old playmaker scored a fine free-kick to draw Sunderland level in the 12th minute and moved the ball well in the opposition’s half.

Pritchard, a player who often wears his heart on his sleeve, did show his frustration at times when moves didn’t come off, with the game running away from Sunderland.

Mowbray will now have to decide whether to start the more experienced Pritchard or teenager Jobe Bellingham in the No 10 position against Ipswich.

A tough night but signs of potential

It was a challenging evening for new Sunderland signing Nectarios Triantis, who remained in a centre-back position as the side switched from a back three to a back four.

The 20-year-old was caught out a couple of times when he tried to win the ball early, but also produced some strong challenges.

Triantis’ ability in possession was another reason Sunderland signed the Australian this summer, and the defender played a fine defensive-splitting pass to set up Jewison Bennette to make the score 3-2.