Sunderland fan blog: Exciting times for SAFC fans with youth at the heart

When Luke O’Nien headed into his own net with 62 minutes on the clock, you could only feel that this may just be a stretch too far for this Sunderland team.
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At the beginning of the second half, Watford dominated the play and began to pile the pressure on Anthony Patterson’s goal, with Keinan Davis and Yaser Asprilla going ever so close, before the away resistance broke again within a rather unfortunate manner.

O’Nien somehow looping the ball over his own goalkeeper.

Yet, with a combination of substitutes mixed with youth, mixed with character, suddenly the tide began to turn in the Black Cats’ favour.

Sunderland players and fans observe silence.Sunderland players and fans observe silence.
Sunderland players and fans observe silence.
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But, when Jack Clarke superbly volleys into the bottom right corner, sending the away support into delirium in the Vicarage Road Stand, the flag goes up. This really isn’t going to be Sunderland’s day, is it?

All Sunderland need is one chance, one chance.

And that opportunity comes; the ball breaks for Leon Dajaku in behind. Surely this is it?! No, the German falls to his knees, narrowly bending the ball outside of the right post.

This is just not going to be Sunderland’s day.

But, this is a Sunderland side built upon the very foundations of late endings, so when Jewison Bennette found himself in space inside the Watford penalty area, you just knew that the Costa Rican was going to write his name into the Sunday morning headlines.

A superb low finish past Daniel Bachmann into the bottom right corner, he immediately runs to the away end, the shirt comes off (a yellow card, but the Costa Rican doesn’t care), and the travelling away end is now, officially, sent into a state of pure delirium.

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And, it’s not an understatement to say that this could have been a match where the Black Cats could have snatched all three points.

They looked the better side in the five minutes of injury time, but there was little complaining from the Sunderland support when the full-time whistle was blown.

Instead, an uproar of emotion and excitement for this new young generation of Sunderland.

Perhaps most notably was Luke O’Nien pushing both Bennette and Amad Diallo in the direction of the 2,000 travelling Mackems. If anything, this was their day at Vicarage Road.

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‘Vamos’, Bennette cheered in his native language, while Diallo took a minute to admire the support for him, and this new young revolution of Sunderland.

A plethora of young talent, ultimately, altered the direction for the Black Cats and bodes well for the upcoming weeks, months, and years for this football club.

These were two sides separated by two divisions in May, but only four months later, it seems these two sides are capable of battling each other in the Championship.

Albeit, yes, if Watford had Ismaila Sarr and Tom Cleverley at their disposal, it may have been a different story, but the same can be said about Tony Mowbray’s fighters, if Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms were both present, this could have been an even-more satisfying day in north-west London.

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That said, it was the youth that took all of the plaudits at Vicarage Road: a youth that seems to be creating its own history on Wearside.

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