Sunderland under-18s return to Wearside this Saturday after back-to-back away games, and Elliott Dickman has revealed he has been impressed by a host of improvements.
The young Black Cats produced a tireless display and led 4-1 at Everton two weeks ago but were made to rue a host of mistakes in the closing stages as the Toffees earned a 4-4 draw.
While it seemed like two points dropped, Dickman’s side refused to be downbeat and bounced back at U18 Premier League leaders Manchester United a week later as Lee Connelly scored his fourth goal in two games at Carrington.
However, Sunderland endured a similar heartache as the Red Devils netted a last-gasp to earn a share of the spoils.
The young guns though return to Wearside this Saturday to host fourth place Rovers and while the lads continue to chase their first win of the campaign, Dickman has revealed he has been delighted with a number of improvements.
“We have come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of games and now it’s all about looking to build on that,” he said.
“Adam Bale has been terrific all season he has been very, very consistent and I have been pleased with lads like Brandon Taylor and Jacob Young.
“I have seen signs of improvement in those two. Brandon has helped Jacob a lot and they have both been very receptive to it.
“Those two have made very good progress but so have many other lads, there are one or two who are taking a little bit longer,” he said.
“Adam has been the stand out by far and the others are starting to show signs of that improvement as well.”