Sunderland youth boss Graeme Murty praises promising young goalkeeper after U21s display
Graeme Murty praised Ben Metcalf’s distribution as Sunderland U21s drew 2-2 with Wolves in the Premier League 2
Graeme Murty singled out goalkeeper Ben Metcalf for praise after Sunderland Under-21s showed resilience and attacking quality in a 2-2 draw with Wolves on Monday night.
Goals from Rhys Walsh and Jack Whittaker had put Sunderland in control after they fell behind early on at Aggborough, but a late strike from Luke Rawlings denied Murty’s side all three points in the Premier League 2 fixture. Despite the frustration of conceding late, Murty was encouraged by both the performance and the response of a youthful Sunderland side.
“Overall, I’m really pleased. We were a really young team and made a lot of changes, but the lads adapted to it really well,” Murty said. “We played some really good football against a powerful opponent. If we were a little more clinical and purposeful in the final third, our good play could have been more impactful. We’re not always going to get the number of chances we created tonight, and that’s one of the lessons they have to learn. That said, I felt for them at the end because I think we deserved more.”
Sunderland were forced to recover from an early setback after Leonardo Lopes gave Wolves the lead, capitalising from a set-piece despite Murty’s side enjoying the better of the early play. “It was a difficult start for us because they scored against the run of play,” Murty added. “We had more possession and were playing quickly, but then conceded from a set piece. These things happen in football - it’s about how you respond. We bounced back really well, and I’m proud of the side’s character tonight.”
Walsh’s opener – his first goal of the season – and Whittaker’s fifth of the campaign turned the contest on its head, and Murty was keen to highlight the thought process and execution behind both goals. “The goals were really pleasing for me. The work we do day-to-day - based on the nature of our opponents’ press and the way we want to play - was rewarded,” he said.
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Central to that build-up was goalkeeper Ben Metcalf, whose distribution played a key role in breaking Wolves’ press and setting Sunderland on the front foot. “Ben [Metcalf] did really well on both occasions. For the first goal, he recognised they were playing man-to-man and bypassed the press to find Finn [Geragusian], which led to Rhys scoring an exceptional goal.”
Murty also pointed to the tactical adjustments made at half-time, with Sunderland changing personnel and adapting their approach in possession. “We changed Finn for Marcus [Neill] at half-time and spoke about how we needed to alter the delivery to the front line. The lads went out and executed exactly what we discussed. It proves they’re listening and learning.”