'I'm so proud of them' - Sunderland U21s hailed for solid display in South Shields draw

Sunderland academy coach Matt Craddock praised a young Black Cats side for ‘stepping up to the challenge’ in their pre-season friendly draw with National League North neighbours South Shields.

The form of Under-21s goalkeeper Isaac Allan, who is expected to join Hebburn Town on loan ahead of the new season, kept the game goalless inside the opening half-hour as the young stopper denied Mariners trio Sonny Finch and Cedwyn Scott. His reward came when his side edged themselves in front against the run of play as Kay Munyakazi fired home from a narrow angle after Ahmed Abdullahi had brought a sharp stop out of hosts number one Jasper Sheik.

Sunderland went with an even younger side during the second-half as the likes of Joe Neild, Jay Matadeen and Joe Cowan were introduced into the action - and they were unable to hold on to the lead as former Carlisle United forward Cedwyn Scott cancelled out Munyakazi’s effort with a close-range effort on 65 minutes. Both sides had chances to claim a winner during the closing stages - but parity remained in place and that allowed Black Cats Head Professional Development Phase Coach Craddock to reflect on a positive day for his young side.

He told The Echo: “South Shields are great team. I saw a lot of them last year and they were really unfortunate not to go up. They’ve got a really good coach and they try and play some really good football - but they real grit and physicality and it’s a really tough stretch for our lads because we were really, really young today and we wanted the lads to go with energy, intensity and a bit of structure out of possession and to go and give it a go. I thought they really stepped up to the challenge and we went even younger in the second-half. I’m so proud of the lads. I’m really, really proud of them because they’re young lads and they work so hard.”

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The fixtures marks another step in an increasingly strong relationship between Sunderland and South Shields. In previous seasons, the Black Cats have started their preparations for a new season by sending a first-team squad to Mariners Park - and although the latest visit came with a young side, Craddock believes the Mariners provide a ‘perfect blend’ of physicality and class that makes the fixture an attractive prospect.

He said: “Mike has a track record of playing good football at clubs he’s had. It’s obviously an attractive fixture because they blend it. They have that physicality and that aggression in the right way but they also have structure, they have class, they try and play through the third, they try and create really attractive football. It’s the perfect blend to come and challenge ourselves. It’s ten minutes down the road so it would be silly not to support each other. I am sure this is the first of many things we will work together on.”

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