New Zealand international signs up for Cats’ U23s

Sunderland have signed New Zealand international Sam Brotherton on a twoand-a-half year dea;.

The 20-year-old defender has penned a contract until the summer of 2019 and will link up with Ellliott Dickman’s Under-23 squad.

Brotherton has a good pedigree, winning six caps for the senior New Zealand side and swaps Stateside for Wearside having represented the Wisconsin Badgers of the University of Wisconsin in the NCAA’s Big Ten Conference.

Brotherton was named National Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Week in October, becoming the first University of Wisconsin men’s player to earn the award.

The defender also has experience at youth international level, representing New Zealand at under-20 and under-23 level.

On deadline day, Sunderland allowed three youngsters to leave the club on loan; with Andrew Nelson, Tom Beadling and Oliver Pain all joining EFL teams.

Striker Nelson joined League Two neighbours Hartlepool United, while goalkeeper Pain signed for Scottish Premiership side Motherwell until the end of the season and centre-half Beadling linked up with League One outfit Bury.

Meanwhile, midfielders Jordan Blinco and Dan Pybus have left the club by mutual consent.

Blinco, 20, joined from Darlington in 2012 and he made an instant impact with the Under-18s before moving into the Under-23 squad.

Pybus, 19, made the step up to Under-23 level at the start of the campaign after scoring 15 goals in 23 games for the Under-18s last season.

A Sunderland statement read: “The club would like to wish the duo well in their future careers.”

Hearts handed out a 4-1 beating to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership last night, leaving boss Ian Cathro to enthuse: “What impressed me most about the performance was that it lasted for 90 minutes. “That’s important.” Krystian Nowak, twogoal Jamie Walker and Don Cowie did the damage.