Elliott Dickman believes his players must show a mental toughness tonight as they welcome Burton Albion to Eppleton CW in the FA Youth Cup.
Having collected four points from their last two U18 Premier League matches, the young Black Cats turn their attentions to the prestigious competition with high hopes of advancing to the fourth round.
Last time out saw the youth team surrender a two-goal lead late on at the hands of West Bromwich Albion, and that showing has left Dickman searching for many answers off his players.
Speaking to safc.com, Dickman paid homage to the historic cup competition and called for his players to show a mental toughness if they are to book their place in the next round.
“There is a lot of hype around the youth cup and rightly so because it is a prestigious tournament,” he said.
“It has been around for a long time and some top players have played it in. The history of it is important to most clubs and coaches.
“It is a great opportunities for young players to pit their wits against various opposition.
“It will be a tough match and I want to make sure the players improve because the players need to take ownership in everything they do.
“It has to be their natural instinct because I certainly want to win all the time,” he continued.
“The more players we have in the team that want to win and do everything they can do to win, whether it’s the league or cup, then the better we will become.”