Andy Welsh has thrown the gauntlet down and challenged Sunderland under-23s to begin the New Year as they ended the last when they host Everton at Eppleton CW on Sunday (KO 12pm).
The young Black Cats signed off in 2016 with a colossal 2-0 victory over Dutch heavyweights PSV Eindhoven in the Premier League International Cup, courtesy of goals from Joel Asoro and Elliot Embleton.
While the win boosted Welsh’s hopes of securing their place in the next round of the European competition, having already seen off Portuguese club Benfica, the lads begin the New Year with a Premier League 2 encounter.
With the arrival of league-leaders Everton up first for Sunderland, Welsh has told safc.com his confidence fuelled side must build on their ruthless nature against the Toffees and in the second-half of the season.
“Its going to be a really difficult game and they have got an excellent coach in charge of their team in David Unsworth,” he said.
“They mix their game very well and they have got some good technical players so the game is going to be about trying to strike a balance, but we know it’s not going to be easy one bit.
“We finished last year on a fantastic run and I think the lads are ready to go again and build on that.”
He continued: “We have started well this year because there have a been a lot of changes so the lads have coped with that well.
“The teams are better this year, they are harder games and we will be looking to get the three points as always to keep the pack nice and close at the top.”
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