safc.com’s Sam Lightle examines how the young Black Cats got on against the Terriers at the Academy of Light on Saturday.
SUMMARY
Sonny Best scored either side of Lee Connelly’s driven strike from range to help the youth team to stretch their unbeaten start in pre-season to four games.
The first-year scholar opened the scoring before Huddersfield hit back following lax defending.
Swift goals from Connelly and Best saw the Black Cats restore their lead and that proved to be enough to secure victory.
FAST START
Best fired home an early opener for the lads, powerfully ramming the ball home at the back stick after Ryan Leonard’s pull-back across goal with just three minutes played. It was the perfect way to settle the Black Cats down and allow them to play some neat football. Direct play was beginning to become evident in the way Mark Atkinson’s side moved the ball, with every pass a forward one. Jordan Hickey fed the ball into a trialist but he was unable to keep his footing as he went to pull the trigger. Connelly was then snuffed out by a last-ditch challenge when he raced in behind to latch onto another slipped pass from his trialist forward partner.
MADE TO PAY
But for all their chances, the Terriers worked their way back into contention and made the most of some sloppy defending from the Black Cats. Atkinson’s side fell afoul of failing to clear their lines, not once but twice and they were made to pay when the visitor’s found the bottom corner of Anthony Patterson’s net. Atkinson’s side failed to clear their lines on the edge of the box and as it came out to their right winger, he made no mistake by sticking it into Patterson’s right corner. Shortly after, Patterson managed to get fingertips to turn a driven striker around the post before a tame attempt was gathered with ease from the youth team’s stopper.
BEST TILL LAST
It was a sluggish spell in the game for the Black Cats, but it didn’t last. Connelly powered the lads back into the lead from 20 yards. A surging run from the halfway line saw the Scot have Huddersfield’s backline backpedalling, and that allowed him the time and space to stroke the ball into the bottom corner. Two minutes later, Sunderland amassed a two-goal cushion. Connelly again the instigator, threading a fine ball into Best’s reserve run into the box. The forward took one touch to hold of the defender and the second one sent the ball beyond the Terriers stopper.
ON A ROLL
Quickfire goals from Connelly and Best gave the Black Cats the lead as they marched on in their unbeaten start in pre-season. On a roll.
Sunderland under-18 starting XI: Patterson, Trialist, Trialist, Young, Trialist, Best, Connolly, Hickey, Leonard, Connelly, Trialist