Jacob Young feels Sunderland under-18s are slowly but surely becoming hard to beat.
The young Black Cats endured a challenging start to the U18 Premier League campaign which saw them lose their opening six fixtures.
However, a recent upturn in form came as they hit the road and took on Everton and table-toppers Manchester United.
While the youth team may feel aggrieved that they haven’t returned to Wearside with six points, Young believes the two points have given the squad a morale boost ahead of Saturday’s home fixture against Blackburn Rovers.
“We produced a strong performance against Manchester United, we defended well as a team and we have picked up two good results in a row,” he said.
“This weekend is definitely one we are looking to win and build on what we have already done.
“Manchester United are a good side and in the last 10-15 minutes we were tiring and they had plenty going forward.
“Their goal was a scrappy one but hopefully we can continue to stick together through 90 minutes and get our first win.”
He continued: “We are a lot more positive following the two draws, our heads are up and we are feeling pretty good.
“Everyone is training well as a team and individually so there are definitely plenty of positives to go forward with now.”
