Elliott Dickman was pleased to welcome Rees Greenwood back into the fold tonight, but admitted his players must show more going forward if they are to win games.
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Sunderland under-23s slipped to their second straight defeat in the Premier League 2 tonight, losing 1-0 to Derby County at Pride Park.
George Thorne’s first-half strike got the Rams on their way to victory, but sloppy finishing almost saw them squander two points in the closing stages as Greenwood’s introduction sparked life into the Black Cats’ forward play.
Greenwood, who clocked his first minutes since pre-season, returned with a bang and immediately chipped paint off the post as his curled effort from range slipped off the moist surface and against the woodwork.
A fraction to the left and it would’ve been a fine equaliser but Sunderland were finally punished with the last kick of the game as Offrande Zanzala swept home from 18 yards to seal victory.
Speaking post-match, a disappointed under-23s coach shared his thoughts.
"We gave it away cheaply at times so it was disappointing tonight," he said.
"I thought the lads gave it their all but on the night there was just a lack of quality and we really needed more care when we had the ball.
"We have to be patient with the players and make sure we continue to go through routines with them and work on possession play when we have the ball.
"We need to get back to basics but at this level I would expect the players to be good at this."
He continued: "It was nice to welcome Rees back tonight and see him get some minutes under his belt.
"He was a little bit unlucky with his effort which hit the post but there are plenty of others that need to contribute to the game more.
"(Jack) Diamond, (Luke) Molyneux, (Ethan) Robson and (Elliot) Embleton have got to get in and around Andrew Nelson and help him more than what they have tonight.
"The big thing was the quality that went into Andrew in and around the final third which was frustrating."
