Success could well be closer to home for Wearmen, says Robson
ETHAN Robson says Sunderland’s homegrown players will have an important part to play as the Black Cats look to dig themselves out of trouble in the second half of the season.
Midfielder Robson made his first senior start in Sunderland’s FA Cup defeat at Middlesbrough last weekend.
He is one of a clutch of Academy products - Josh Maja, Joel Asoro, George Honeyman, Lynden Gooch and Elliot Embleton the others - to have been involved this season as the club struggles with injuries.
Sunderland’s New Year’s Day defeat at home to Barnsley saw them sink from fourth-bottom to the foot of the table and they head to Cardiff tomorrow looking to climb back out of the relegation zone.
Robson, 21, said: “Joel and Maj have done great when they have been playing and it gives the young players a bit of hope seeing them do well.
“We like to all play well as a team and the younger players feel good when the likes of Joel and Maj play well – it gives us a bit of a lift. We are the future of the club, really.
“I feel we need to show the fans what we can do.
“It is a bit of a tough situation but if we all stick together we can get out of it.”
With 12-goal top scorer Lewis Grabban returning to Bournemouth having asked for his loan spell to be cut short, Sunderland are desperately short of firepower - and that is something manager Chris Coleman must address during the transfer window.
In the meantime, the Black Cats need teenagers Maja and Asoro to step up to the plate to help out the club’s only senior frontman James Vaughan, who has only scored two goals since his summer move from Bury.
Robson added: “It is not an easy time behind the scenes with results and Grabbs leaving – he has been on fire scoring loads of goals.
“However, I believe if we all stick together we have other strikers who can score goals as well.”
Asked whether this is an opportunity for Maja and Asoro, Robson added: “I have been with them for a few years and you can see in training they have what it takes.”