Elliott Dickman was quick to draw on the positives following Sunderland under-18s home defeat to Stoke City on Saturday in the U18 Premier League.
Two goals in as many minutes earned the Potters a commanding lead and really punished the young Black Cats following a bright start to the game.
Stoke added a third before the half-hour mark and then scored a fourth in the 64th minute from close-range to hold an unassailable lead and leave the young guns pointless after two games.
Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka reduced the arrears late on after latching onto Fergus McAughtrie’s rebounded effort, but speaking to safc.com Dickman admitted while some of his players need to adapt to the level of football quickly, there were some pleasing aspects to cling to.
“We did smashing in the first 15 minutes but when we conceded we didn’t react well,” he said.
“Our defending was poor and when we went behind we conceded again quickly, from there on in it was always an uphill challenge.
“We can’t defend the way we have done recently and expect to pick up points. There were some positive aspects to our play but we have got to improve.”
He continued: “I’m pleased with a number of players because they kept at it, they stuck to their tasks, they knew what they had to do and they showed great attitude but overall we must improve.”
