Elliott Dickman believes the resilient nature of his side’s efforts against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday are traits his players must take into their next batch of fixtures in the new year.
Sunderland under-23s secured a hard-fought point at the Lamex Stadium last night, with Max Stryjek playing a vital role as he made a string of fine stops across the 90 minutes.
And with Tom Beadling, Alex Storey and Brandon Taylor offering further reinforcements in front of him as they formed part of a back five, Dickman has praised the effort of his players, admitting their resilient attitude must continue into the new year if they are to climb the Premier League 2 table.
“It was tough because we had to defend for long spells in the match,” he said.
“Our shape and discipline was good and that was a real positive to take from the game. We feel we could’ve been better in possession because we never really took the match to them.
“But our shape without the ball was good. We limited Tottenham to few chances, mainly long-range efforts and we showed good desire to get blocks in and put our body in the way.
“It is a point gained, we know we need to be better with the ball if we are to create chances,” he continued.
“Sometimes with the players being so young it is difficult to get that blend right but hopefully with one or two changes we can improve.”