The Academy lads gave a good account of themselves when they played Sunderland at the Foundation of Light on Friday morning.

They lost the game against the First Division club’s academy, but they learned quite a bit from the experience.

Academy head coach Alan White said; “Our lads were up against Sunderland’s top academy team, so it was always going to be a tough game.

“If our players have any aspirations of playing in the National League North, then this is the standard that they must be setting themselves in terms of passing and movement off the ball.

“It’s a reminder of how much work they have to put in. It was also good for them to see the excellent facilities and the first-class environment that Sunderland have – they know what they need to aspire to now.

“Our lads competed well in patches but they fell short on quality in some areas against one of the elite teams in the country.”

The lads' next game is against South Shields on the back pitch at Blackwell Meadows on Wednesday afternoon, kick off 2pm