Derby draw for U18s

Sunderland Under-18s held old rivals Newcastle to a satisfying 1-1 draw at Little Benton on Saturday, writes Neville Pilkington.

This was because they had suffered two major setbacks to their campaign even before the kick-off.

First came the news that leading scorer Cole Kiernan will be out for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury.

The second blow was that tall lynchpin central defender Andreas Edmundsson will also miss the rest of the programme after suffering a fractured collarbone in the competitive midweek friendly against Aberdeen.

It was a fairly even first half but Sunderland were lacking in the final third despite a lot of play on the counter. The Wearsiders improved and took the lead on the hour mark.

A cross from Ryan Leonard was tucked home from six yards by Connor Slack.

But in the 76th minute the Tynesiders drew level. The goal stemmed from a Sunderland free kick taken from the edge of the area by Sonny Best.

His strike struck the wall and from the rebound Newcastle broke at speed. Anthony Cole’s shot was saved by keeper Adam Cameron but Cole netted from the resulting loose ball.

Sunderland’s Sean Kennedy nearly got the winner 10 minutes from time but his effort just grazed the post.

Sunderland coach Paul Bryson said: “I was please with the workrate and commitment but we lacked quality in the final third.”

Sunderland: (4-3-3) Cameron, Triallist (Miller 82). Almond, Derbali, Smith, Evans (Kennedy 60), Neill (Lilley 867), Scothern, Best, Slack, Leonard. Subs not used: Ord, Basey.