A Sunderland academy star has spoken out over the support he has received from Melker Ellborg and Robin Roefs in recent weeks.
Sunderland goalkeepers Melker Ellborg and Robin Roefs have been aiding the development of one of Sunderland’s brightest academy prospects.
A recent injury suffered by summer signing Roefs has offered a surprise opportunity for 17-year-old keeper Joe Cowan as he took his place in matchday squads for Premier League fixtures against Leeds United, Port Vale, Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United over the last month and that has provided him with an invaluable experience as he looks to progress towards a regular first-team involvement over the coming years.
His progress has been aided by Ellborg and Roefs in recent months after Cowan revealed he has been able to tap into his more senior counterparts for advice in training and on matchday.
Reflecting on the events of recent weeks, the academy stopper told the club’s official website: “It’s been a great experience for me. Obviously, there’s some really top players in the side – and it’s been a lot of learning in the past couple of weeks. Simon [Moore] and Luke [O’Nien] have helped me quite a lot, because they’re both really nice and experienced players. It’s also been great to learn off both Melker and Robin. Both are top, top keepers in the Premier League and what they’re doing right now is something that I want to be doing in the future. I’ve really enjoyed it – and something that I want more of.”
Play-off target
Sunderland youth goalkeeper Joe Cowan. Photo courtesy of Ben Cuthbertson.placeholder image
Sunderland youth goalkeeper Joe Cowan. Photo courtesy of Ben Cuthbertson. | Ben Cuthbertson.
Cowan will return to Under-21 duty on Monday night when Graham Murty’s men face their Reading counterparts at Eppleton. A Black Cats win would sew up a place in the Premier League 2 end-of-season play-offs and Cowan has called on his side to ‘give everything’ to secure success on two different fronts between now and the end of the campaign.
He said: “We know that we’ve got a tough couple of games coming up, but we always back ourselves. We’ve worked really hard over the last few months to get ourselves in this position. We’re going to give everything, and try and get six points to qualify for the play-offs and the International Cup next season.”
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