Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has set a goal for one Black Cats starlet ahead of the clash with Bristol City.
Sunderland will be looking to maintain their promotion push on Tuesday night as they welcome Bristol City to Wearside.
The Black Cats will be hoping that a second successive home win could propel them closer to the summit, where they currently sit just three points away from following Sheffield United’s draw with West Brom.
It will be a difficult task for French boss Regis Le Bris, who will be without star left-back Dennis Cirkin once again, however it is expected that Chris Mepham will return to the squad following his suspension from the red card he picked up against Sheffield United.
One thing that is certain is that Tommy Watson will get yet another start for the side following his recent run of form, however Le Bris has still handed him targets that he must meet.
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Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris offers ‘consistency’ targets for attacker Tommy Watson
Watson was on hand to win Sunderland the game against Stoke City, notching a brace for Le Bris’ side in a game where he caused havoc down the left-flank.
The Black Cats’ 18-year-old winger has done brilliantly to replicate the absent Romaine Mundle, however Le Bris is still calling on more from the youngster.
In his Bristol City pre-match press conference, Le Bris said: “Consistency is the key.
“It’s still difficult to expect something very clear from a young player. Because of a lack of experience, we don’t know how he will react to positive or negative experiences.
“So far he’s been really impressive. He was good at Sheffield – that’s a tough place. He was a constant threat in the first half especially. He was able to repeat the same performance last Saturday so he’s very consistent, so far.
“Now he has to repeat and repeat and repeat. It’s not huge pressure but it’s the rule of competitive sport.”
Sunderland blueprint suggests that pressure makes diamonds
Some fans may be concerned that, whilst Le Bris has made it clear that it isn’t ‘huge pressure’ that he is looking to exert upon the Sunderland attacker, he could potentially feel like he may struggle to live up to the Frenchman’s demands.
However, the blueprint, as seen with the likes of Chris Rigg and Anthony Paterson, shows that Sunderland youngsters have no faults when put under pressure, and they actually thrive when being placed into the spotlight.
There is every likelihood that Watson will follow suit with his fellow academy products, and his spell at the club will certainly benefit from it.