Reece James will clock his first competitive minutes in red and white this evening as he starts for Sunderland under-23s at Eppleton Colliery Welfare.
The full-back who joined the Black Cats over the summer from Sky Bet Championship side Wigan Athletic begins tonight’s Premier League 2 match on the left.
New duo Jordan Hunter and Jack Bainbridge also make up part of the back four alongside Brandon Taylor who gained some first-team experience over the summer.
Former Manchester United stopper Max Johnstone lines up between the posts while Connor Shields, who travelled with the first-team squad to Luton Town on Saturday, leads the line with fellow Scotsman Lee Connelly.
Sunderland U23: Johnstone, Hunter, James, Bale, Taylor, Bainbridge, Connelly, Connolly, Shields, Hackett, Diamond
Subs: Young, Newman, Kokolo, Storey, Best
