Parkinson hails youngsters and debutants
Phil Parkinson made nine changes to his side for the 8-1 win over Aston Villa U21s on Tuesday night.
In the side were three youngsters, two of whom were making their first competitive starts for the club.
There were also three players making their debuts. Remi Matthews was almost entirely untroubled in the Black Cats goal but Arbenit Xhemajli was able to complete 90 minutes and there was time for an eyecatching cameo from Danny Graham as he made his second debut for the club.
So what did manager Phil Parkinson make of their performances?
Here, he runs through them, one-by-one…
Feeney looked composed on his full debut, confident in defence and a major threat in the opposition box, producinga goalandanassist at the back post.
“Morgan will be pleased with his contribution,” Parkinson said.
"It’s always good to get a goal from the centre-halves. He’s a good lad Morgan, he’s mature in the way he plays.
"I’m pleased with him and there’s more to come from him.”
Dan Neil: Neil was the star of Sunderland’s pre-season campaign.
While there wasn’t quite the same end product from him in the final third here, his pressing and willingness to take risks in possession still impressed.
“At the start, the game was quite frenetic, but I thought Dan grew into the game and did well," Parkinson said.
"I just said to him after he’s just got to learn that he doesn’t have to try something every time he gets the ball, sometimes he just has to keep it simple and wait for the moments.”
Jack Diamond: Diamond was an energetic presence throughout, running once
or twice into trouble but also catching the away defence out with some brave dribbling.
He got his reward late on, with an assist for Sunderland’s seventh goal.
“I thought Jack stuck to his task terrifically well,” Parkinson said.
"He’s a very good crosser of the ball, and he’s getting a lot fitter, to where we need him to be for this level of football.
"He’s dangerous. With his pace, he’s someone who can get from box to box quickly when you break.
"The good thing about Jack is that when he gets in there, he can produce quality.”
Arbenit Xhemajli: Sunderland had faced a nervous wait to see if Xhemajli, short of match practice, would receive international clearance from the Swiss FA in time to play.
While Saturday may come too soon to challenge Tom Flanagan for a starting spot, his presence at the Stadium of Light was a real boost for Parkinson.
“Arby, he only got his international clearance today so we expected only to give him 60 minutes, but we were able to stretch him to 90 because of how the game went, which was good.”
Danny Graham: Graham caught the eye with a goal and some excellent link-up play from the bench.
“He'safront-footplayerwho wants to score and as you saw, his link-up play is great,” Parkinson said.
“Some of his build-up play was terrific as well.
"He'll go be a good role model for our younger players, a good trainer and professional.”