Andy Welsh has admitted Sunderland under-21s’ draw at Seaham Red Star has given him plenty of food for thought.
David Paul headed the hosts in front after just three minutes before Carl Lawson was bundled over in the box and left the referee with no alternative but to award Sunderland a penalty.
Elliot Embleton then stepped up and calmly dispatched the spot kick into the bottom right corner to get the Lads level in the 39th minute.
Sunderland huffed and puffed in the second period but were unable to convert their dominance into goals as Andrew Nelson and John Yves-Poame went close.
Speaking to safc.com Welsh confessed while it was important all the Lads had a run out, they must learn to be more clinical in the final third.
“We are in the middle of an extensive training programme and the idea from the game was that everybody in the squad got 45 minutes of football,” he said.
“We dominated possession in the first and second half but actually lacked a bit of cutting edge in the final third.
“We have got to have more of a cutting edge but at least everyone got through tonight’s game so that is a positive we can take forward,” he continued. “We needed to have more shots and as we have done many times over the last season we have tried to score the perfect goal which isn't always the best thing to do.”
Watch Welsh's full post-match interview above.
