Mark Atkinson believes his players must learn to show some old fashioned grit and steel when they don’t have possession.
Ben Kimpioka struck on Saturday to cancel out Jayden Mitchell-Lawson’s opener for Derby County inside six minutes.
Sunderland under-18s fought tirelessly but were eventually downed 3-1 as the Rams forced the issue and secured all three points in the U18 Premier League.
Speaking to safc.com, Atkinson praised his players work in possession but admitted his players must show a more ruthless nature when they don’t have the ball.
“The pattern of the game was very similar to the Newcastle game,” he said.
“In the first half we were more in control of the game and things we had worked on in training were evident in our play.
“We had a good control of the game but we conceded early on which was disappointing.
“The lads showed some character, though, they got on with it and scored a really good goal and we were well worth it at half-time.
“The second half turned into a scrappier match and that saw Derby have more momentum, and at the minute when teams have momentum we seem to struggle to get control of the game.”
He continued: “The opposition will always have moments in games and it’s what we do then that we need to look at.
“We are just a little bit fragile at times and we need to stick together as a team, make better decisions and try to grind performances out.”
