Elliott Dickman praised the character of his players after Sunderland under-18s’ spirited efforts came to nothing as they exited the FA Youth Cup.
Two goals in five first-half minutes saw Newcastle United gain full control of the last 16 tie at Eppleton Colliery Welfare.
Josh Maja halved the deficit nine minutes in the second period before Adam Wilson’s left-foot rocket saw the visitors remain their two-goal cushion in the Wear-Tyne derby.
But Sunderland weren’t finished their and Maja grabbed his second of the evening before incisive passing ended as Elliot Embleton lashed home to draw the match level.
It was nothing more than the young Cats deserved, but with two minutes left on the clock Lewis McNall netted his second to see the Magpies through to the quarter-finals.
Speaking post-match, Dickman shared his disappointed but lavished praise on his player’s commitment to the cause.
“All the lads are devastated because we probably didn’t do ourselves justice in the first-half,” he said.
“We could’ve played a lot better, our shape wasn’t what we like and I thought we gave them too much of a chance to play which made it tough for us.
“They probably edged it in the opening period but we had the better chances and it comes down to taking them.
“We all are devastated but the big thing is the character and the fact the players now need to learn from their mistakes to make sure they don’t let that happen again,” he continued.
“I had a good feeling when we equalised – we had a good intensity to our play, we had a purpose to what we were doing and we created some great chances.
“The players gave everything they had and they never gave up.”
