Lynden Gooch hits out at Stoke City fans accusing defender of not trying against Sunderland

Lynden Gooch has defended himself amid comments from some (not all) Stoke City fans following The Potters' loss to Sunderland last weekend.

The American started at right-back for Stoke City in his first appearance at the Stadium of Light since joining the club from Sunderland last summer after a lengthy association with the Black Cats, which saw the player feature in the Premier League, Championship and League One.

However, following Sunderland's 3-1 win over Stoke City on. Wearside, some Stoke fans accused Gooch of not trying against his former club as the full-back endured a tough time up against former teammate Jack Clarke.

On social media, Gooch said: "I’ve seen a few of these now that I feel like I need to say something. I have given everything in a Stoke City shirt since I have joined and will continue to do so. We got beat by the better team on Saturday who were more ruthless than us in both boxes."

The Black Cats went ahead on the stroke of half-time when Mason Burstow headed the ball back towards goal and was awarded his first goal as a Sunderland player.

Abdoullah Ba then added a second for the hosts shortly after the interval, before Pierre Ekwah made it 3-0 in the 70th minute. Stoke did manage to pull a goal back when Jenson Seelt diverted the ball into his own net, yet it was too little too late.

The Black Cats are next in action against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday in the Championship.