Adam Bale is revelling in the importance of a good pre-season following Sunderland under-18s’ return to training.
The young midfielder was exceptional in the first few months of last season and produced a number of eye-catching displays as Elliott Dickman’s side kept the heat on the U18 Premier League top four.
While Bale’s season was cut short due to injury, the youth team narrowly missed out on a place in the top four and had to settle for a group two play-off place in the end.
However, the midfielder's hard work and attitude has since paid off as he has been handed the youth team captaincy for the 2016-17 campaign.
Speaking to safc.com Bale admitted while confidence is high among the group, preparations are going well ahead of their pre-season curtain-raiser this Saturday against Gateshead College.
“The lads are confident and we all believe that we can push on in the new season,” he said. “We know what we’ve got to do, we’ve practised it in training and now it’s just a case of making sure we push on and do it together.
“A lot of new lads have come in so these pre-season matches are all about getting them settled so they feel comfortable in our system, our way of working and how we play.
“So far everybody has settled in well, there are no divisions and we’ve all integrated with one another well.”