Sunderland played their first two preseason games today, all within the space of a couple hours, remarkably, both ending in a win.
The Black Cats played two games today, first taking on South Shields and then Gateshead afterwards.
It is a perfect start for Tony Mowbray who has got to see all of his players in action as they prepare for the Championship campaign.
Here is what we learned in each game…
What we learned from both preseason games
South Shields 3-4 Sunderland
Sunderland in this game demonstrated their strength in attack, with summer signing Hemir Semedo opening his account for the club after connecting with the cross from Isaac Lihadji.
16-year-old Chris Rigg who signed a new deal after becoming an academy scholar earlier this week also scored from midfield, demonstrating the future is bright.
Jack Clarke scored a brace and was the man of the match, putting himself in good stead for the season ahead.
The glaring negative however is defensively, conceding three goals against a team as low in the leagues as South Shields, doesn’t bode well for the Championship. But since it’s game one, we will assume it gets better.
Gateshead 2-3 Sunderland
Another goal fest ensued later in the evening, which again came against a lower opponent, the defensive fragility this early, could be causing concerns for Mowbray.
Dan Neil came up good, scoring the first goal of the comeback which saw The Black Cats overcome a two goal deficit. He was joined on the scoresheet by Niall Huggins and Michael Spellman sealing two wins on the bounce.
The perfect start to preseason before the lads head Stateside later this month on a tour of America before a return to England for the Championship opener at the Stadium of Light against Ipswich Town.
The season is so close and Mowbray looks to have his men in good attacking form, even if the defence leaves much to be desired.