Swansea City U23 1-0 Sunderland U23
Sunderland under-23s’ trip to South Wales ended in defeat as they lost 1-0 to Swansea City in the Premier League 2.
A header in first-half stoppage time from Brandon Cooper was the difference as the Swans thwarted any Black Cats resurgence in the second half.
Cieran Dunne was sent off for Sunderland in second-half stoppage time for kicking out at Daniel Williams.
Elliot Dickman made three changes from Monday’s Wear-Tees derby, with Jack Bainbridge, Nathan Greenwood and Williams Kokolo handed starts.
The Lads raced out of the traps and created the first opportunity after two minutes when Owen Gamble fired narrowly over the bar after a well worked corner.
Ruben Sammut then had a chance when he was found in space at the edge of the area, but his volley flew high and wide of Josh Gould’s net.
But Swansea slowly grew into the game and went close in the 23rd minute, when Simon Paulet’s effort shaved the outside of the Sunderland post.
The hosts should have gone ahead in the 30th minute, but Anthony Patterson produced a magnificent reflex save from Liam Cullen’s effort to somehow tip the ball onto the crossbar.
Swansea’s sustained spell of pressure paid off in first-half stoppage time, when Cooper headed home Kieran Evans’ corner, after a scramble in the Sunderland six-yard box.
The Jacks squandered a massive opportunity to double their lead one minute into the second half, when Oli Cooper sent the ball wide from three yards with the goal gaping.
And the Black Cat almost made them pay for this miss just moments later, when Dunne’s effort drifted inches over the crossbar after good work by Lee Connelly down the right.
Jake Hackett was introduced midway into the second half and almost had an instant impact, but his long-range effort went straight down the throat of Gould.
Sunderland’s pressure was almost rewarded 10 minutes from time when Jacob Jones’ header almost nestled into the bottom corner of his own net after a deep cross from Kokolo.
The Lads were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages after Dunne kicked out at Williams in what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon in South Wales for the Black Cats.
Swansea City U23s: Gould; Rushesha, Evans, Cooper (capt), Jones; Williams, Paulet; Cooper, Evans, Jones-Thomas; Cullen.
Subs: Webb, Blake, de Boer, Berry, Thomas.
Sunderland U23s: Patterson, Mumba, Kokolo, Neil, Taylor, Bainbridge, Greenwood, Sammut, Connelly, Gamble, Dunne.
Subs: Edmundsson, Abdelkader, Hackett, Connolly, Evans.
