Sunderland under-18s were made to endure their first defeat in four matches this afternoon when they fell to defeat at Middlesbrough.
Basking in bright sunshine, Rockliffe Park played host to the second meeting between the young Black Cats and Boro in just five days after playing out a 1-1 draw at the Academy of Light on Tuesday.
But unlike on Tuesday, Boro secured three points as Nathan Guru handed the hosts the advantage after 17 minutes.
Then just ten minutes later it was 2-0 as Boro gained a strong grip on the match – Hayden Hackney applied the finish which proved to be enough to seal all the points.
Meanwhile, the result leaves Sunderland in mid-table with just one match remaining.
Sunderland U18: Newman, Kokolo (Devine, 68), Edmundsson, Leonard (Slack, 45), Evans, Howard, Trialist (Dunne, 52), Hesson, Derbali, Neill, Greenwood
Subs: Patterson, Lilley