Story of the night as Sunderland win at Lincoln to begin Papa John's Trophy title defence after Dan Neil and Stephen Wearne goals
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Lee Johnson made ten changes to his starting XI following Saturday’s defeat at Portsmouth, with promotion from League One clearly the priority this season.
In a squad which had a mixture of first-team and under-23 players, Denver Hume made his first competitive start of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury, while Dan Neil captained the side.
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Hide AdUnder-23s players Kenton Richardson, Oliver Younger, Ellis Taylor, Harrison Sonha and Will Harris got a chance to impress.
Goals from Neil and substitute Stephen Wearne saw the Cats claim all three points in Northern Group F, ahead of a meeting with Manchester United Under-21s at the Stadium of Light next week.
The only negative was that Sunderland midfielder Luke O’Nien was forced off with an injury in the second half.
Here’s how the game played out at the LNER Stadium:
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RECAP: Lincoln 1 (Montsma, 90+3) Sunderland 2 (Neil, 2) (Wearne, 72)
Key Events
- Sunderland XI: Burge, Richardson, Alves, Younger, Hume, Neil, Sonha, Pritchard, O’Brien, Taylor (Wearne, 62), Harris (O’Nien, 74) (Embleton, 81).
- Subs: Carirney, Almond, O’Nien, Newall, Kachosa, Wearne, Embleton
- Lincoln XI: Long, Poole, Montsma, Sanders, Robson, Sorensen, Walsh (Eyoma, 46), Longdon (Bramall, 69), Adelakun, Maguire (Nlundulu, 69), Scully
- Subs: Boylan, Bramall, Eyoma, Nlundulu
Predicted line-up
Johnson has previously said he may try West Ham loanee Frederik Alves in midfield.
This may be an opportunity to have a look at the West Ham loanee in the middle of the park, while Denver Hume is likely to play his first competitive match since recovering from a long-term hamstring injury.
Predicted SAFC XI: Burge, Richardson, Younger, Wright, Hume, Alves, Neil, Dajaku, Pritchard, Taylor, O’Brien.
What Sunderland’s group looks like
Tonight’s match will also go straight to penalties if it finishes in a draw, with the winner gaining a bonus point.
How Lincoln started last time out
Here’s the Lincoln side which started their 2-2 draw with Plymouth last time out.
Captain Liam Bridcutt and defender Regan Poole were both forced off with injuries.
How Lincoln are shaping up
Despite making it to the League One play-off final last season, Lincoln have struggled so far this campaign and are 16th in the table after 11 games.
They have won both of their matches in the Papa John’s Trophy so far, against Bradford and Manchester United Under-21s, yet there is still an unlikely scenario where the Imps may not go through.
Lincoln boss Michael Appleton has said he’ll name the strongest side he has available this evening, though he is managing several injury concerns.
When asked about Sunderland, the Lincoln boss said: “I don’t know if Lee is going to put his B side, his C side or his D side, but we’ll roll out an A team if we can.”
Former Sunderland attacker Chris Maguire could feature for the Imps after recovering from an injury.
Lee Johnson on Papa John’s Trophy approach
Here’s what the Black Cats boss said about the Papa John’s Trophy after Saturday’s game at Portsmouth.
Sunderland will also face Manchester United Under-21s next week.
“I see it as a really good opportunity for some of the U23s who have been performing quite well as we have been clear that the league is our priority this season,” said Johnson.
“On Tuesday, I think there’ll be a bit of a mix of first-team players and under-23s.”
Sunderland boss Lee Johnson is set to include a mixture of first-team and under-23s players in today’s squad.
Nathan Broadhead remains out with a hamstring injury, while Lynden Gooch and Aiden McGeady have been sidelined with foot and ankle issues respectively.
Niall Huggins has withdrawn from Wales’ under-21 squad with an injury, while Callum Doyle, Dennis Cirkin, Tom Flanagan and Corry Evans are set to leave on international duty.
It’s Matchday!
Sunderland are back in action this evening with Lee Johnson’s side set to play their opening group game in the Papa John’s Trophy.
The Black Cats boss is set to make several changes to his side against Lincoln, who have already beaten Bradford and Manchester United Under-21s in Northern Group F.
We’ll have all the build up ahead of the match, as well as in-game analysis and post-match reaction from the LNER Stadium.