New boy gets a-Mungst it for first time at Cats

ROMAINE Mundle had his first taste of action as a Sunderland player in the club’s 1-0 U21 success against Bristol City in the Premier League Cup.

The 20-year-old winger, who signed from Standard Liege on transfer deadline day, made an impact in the game as Luis Hemir’s strike in the closing stages of the second half proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Mundle’s impact in the opening stages of the game was felt when he drifted inside from the left but saw his bending effort curl off target.

He was causing havoc down the left again with Adil Aouchiche’s ball in behind feeding his run, but the linesman’s flag prevented the chance.

The opening 30 minutes of the game belonged to the home side as they monopolised the majority of possession at Eppleton but were persevering to find a way through the Robins.

Mundle’s luck was out for the first half when he latched onto a cutback which was cleared off the line.

Further efforts from Tom Lavery and Caden Kelly continued to test the away side’s resolve.

The breakthrough finally came with less than 15 minutes to go when Hemir lashed home from close range.

Sunderland’s academy lead coach John Hewitson told the club: “We were pleased with the result but performance-wise we probably wanted a little bit more quality from the players to make it a bit easier for us, for the staff, to be a little bit less stressed on the sidelines.

“But in terms of the game we created enough chances to win, although there has been some good individual defending and Matty Young has made some really good saves to keep us in it at 0-0.

“On the whole I think we edged the game but in terms of these games it’s making sure we get through to the next round and we’ve done that although there’s things to work on. Not every footballer goes on the pitch and has an immaculate performance. Players are sometimes going to make mistakes and thankfully the lads have come through it and got the three points and a safe passage to the next round.”

With first-teamers sprinkled through the side, it’s a great learning experience for the younger players and Hewitson added: “It’s brilliant for the younger lads, some of them mixed in with first team players who are able to share their knowledge and experience. It’s really valuable, it’s good for the likes of Tom Lavery to come up and play with the U21s and the first team level players. It’s sometimes a better learning experience than the staff can give them.”