Sunderland U21s play Gateshead in the National League Cup on Tuesday evening
Sunderland U21s boss Graeme Murty has named his starting XI to face Gateshead in the National League Cup this evening, with Timothee Pembele and Abdoullah Ba included.
The Black Cats have already played two fixtures in Group D of the competition, beating Scunthorpe United back in August, and suffering a 4-0 defeat to Boston last month. For their part, Heed sit 14th in the National League, and are winless in their last five outings at the Gateshead International Stadium.
Nevertheless, Murty has named a strong side for the contest, with a number of forgotten first team faces making rare appearances. In net, Dan Cameron starts for Sunderland, while Pembele joins Zak Johnson, Ben Kindon, and Jenson Jones at the back.
In midfield, Jaydon Jones starts alongside Ben Middlemas and Jay Matete, while Ba and Timur Tutierov feature on the flanks, either side of Ethan Moore. Sunderland’s bench is made up of Isaac Allan, Finlay Holcroft, Rhys Walsh, Joe Neild, Charlie Dinsdale, Felix Scott, and Archie Lightfoot.
After a hectic summer of recruitment, Pembele, Ba, and Matete have not featured at all for Regis Le Bris’ senior side this season, with all three having also spent last season out on loan.
Sunderland XI: Dan Cameron; Timothee Pembele, Ben Kindon, Zak Johnson, Jenson Jones; Jay Matete, Ben Middlemas, Jaydon Jones, Abdoullah Ba, Timur Tutierov, Ethan Moore.
Subs: Allan, Finlay Holcroft, Rhys Walsh, Joe Neild, Charlie Dinsdale, Felix Scott, and Archie Lightfoot
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What has been said ahead of Sunderland U21s clash against Gateshead?
Speaking ahead of the clash in an interview with the club’s in-house media team, Jaydon Jones said: “We’ve learnt loads from the two games earlier in the season. The second half against Scunthorpe was great to be a part of, but the game at Boston was a really tough one for us to take.
“It’s a different challenge to what we’re used to in the PL2, but we’re enjoying the tests. Gateshead are going to be bigger than us and much more physical. Like the other two teams we’ve faced, they’re going to try and play a bit longer, but the way we played on Friday night showed that if we move the ball fast, not many teams can get near us. If we can play our way, we will be tough to break down. We will be up for it, and hopefully we can get the win.”
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