Andy Welsh praised his players after 10-man Sunderland fought back to earn a resilient point against Burnley on Sunday.
The young Black Cats dominated the general ebb and flow of the game but hit a sticky patch when George Brady saw red for a pullback on Khius Metz as he went through on goal 19 minutes in.
Burnley made their man advantage pay from a corner minutes before half-time, Jimmy Dunn with the all-important touch as Sunderland failed to clear their lines.
Wave after wave of attack continued to crash against the stubborn Claret’s backline, and while Welsh’s side drew blanks for most of the half George Honeyman came up trumps in the 83rd minute as he found the bottom corner with a neat turn and strike.
Speaking post-match, Welsh hailed his players’ efforts and admitted his side were unfortunate to not come away with all three points.
“With the sending off all of a sudden the game became a lot more difficult,” he said.
“We started off very, very brightly and they had a counter attack and George got a red card.
“It was disappointing to lose him but overall we were excellent to be honest.
“Our fitness levels and organisation was excellent and I thought while we were 1-0 down at half time we came out and gave it a real go.
“Percentage-wise in possession we were in charge for most of the game so I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t win to be honest,” he continued.
“When you look at it and realise we were 1-0 down with 10 men it’s always a good result to get a point.”