Tony Mowbray explains his decision to hand exciting Sunderland youngster a surprise debut

A senior debut for Tommy Watson, the latest and to this point most significant step in his journey.

The winger's exciting progress has perhaps slipped slightly under the radar due to Chris Rigg's FA Cup exploits, but Watson has been with the tenacious midfielder almost every step of the way. He has thrived at youth level, gained international experience in the England youth set up and has trained and travelled with the senior team at times this season.

Which is why Mowbray's decision to turn to Watson with just a few minutes to play and his side in urgent need of a winning goal was no gimmick.

The head coach's options at the moment are threadbare but Watson has caught the eye behind the scenes and he has something that Mowbray needs: Speed.

How big a part in Sunderland's run-in Watson will play remains to be seen but it would be no surprise to see the winger feature again.

“I just look at the assets of footballers, really," Mowbray explained.

"I don’t know loads and loads about him, but I’ve seen him play in a few U21s games and he’s trained with us a few times.

“I just think if you can face someone up one-on-one, and knock it on the outside of them, then he can run and get beyond people.

“Put the assets on the pitch – that’s how I manage really. It’s about trying to help the players and help the team.

“The changes were about trying to help the team really. It was about trying to get more mobility and more speed on the pitch. That was all, really. It wasn’t about giving the kid his debut – it was about seeing the assets that he’s got and trying to use them to help the team get into a situation where we could create chances to score."

Though Sunderland came close to snatching all three points when Amad was just unable to gather Jack Clarke's pass inside the box, the contest fizzled out and his post-match address, Mowbray urged his side to find greater consistency as they continue on their development.

“We didn't create many chances in the last five minutes," he said.

"The top teams, when they need a goal, it’s like the Alamo, you’re camped in and can’t get out of your own box, never mind out of your own half. We have to be able to do that to teams. We have to be able to lock them in and push men on. We have to have quality, run without the ball, and slide people in. We have to make them just boot the ball out and create waves of attacks.

"We couldn’t really manage to do that against Huddersfield, and that’s why I think we just fell a bit short because, at our best, I think we can do that to teams.”