It was a day to forget for the Lads at the Stadium of Light as the Easter Weekend finished with defeat against Blackburn Rovers.
Romain Mundle drove at the Blackburn defence in the opening five minutes before laying off to Pierre Ekwah on the edge of the box. His teasing effort was well-held by Ainsley Pears.
Luke O’Nien thwarted the opposition with a vital block as Joe Rankin-Costello brought the ball down on the edge of the box and lashed the ball goalwards.
The away side took the lead right before the half-hour mark. An intricate through ball found Sammie Szmodics with space in the box and he tucked the ball into the bottom right corner.
The lead was doubled just before half-time with Szmodics finding room from a cutback in the box and guiding the ball into the same corner.
A third was added two minutes into the second half when Ryan Hedges dispatched a breakaway move rolling the ball into the net.
Possession was won inside the Sunderland box before Tyrhys Dolan found space and prodded the ball home for a fourth goal of the game.
A moment to savour game came when Bradley Dack's header was palmed into the path of Chris Rigg and the 16-year-old lashed the ball into the net for his third of the season.
Blackburn scored a fifth when a deflected cross found it's way to Andrew Moran who was on hand to tap into an empty net.
The Lads return to action this weekend when they welcome Bristol City to Wearside.
SAFC XI: Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O’Nien ©, Styles; Neil, Ekwah; Roberts (Rigg 56’), Aouchiche (Dack 56’), Mundle (Clarke 56’); Jobe
Subs: Bishop, Pembele, Luis Hemir, Burstow, Ba, Hjelde
Blackburn Rovers XI: Pears; Brittain, Hyam ©, Wharton, Pickering (Chrisene 20’); Tronstad, Rankin-Costello (Markanday 74'), Hedges (Buckley 74'), Szmodics, Dolan; Gallagher (Moran 67’)
Subs: Wahlstedt, Carter, McFadzean, Ayari,Telalovic