Sunderland youngster Ethan Moore joined National League club Gateshead on loan earlier this season.
Gateshead manager Rob Elliot has praised the impact Sunderland youngster Ethan Moore has made during his loan spell with the National League club - and revealed he is keen to secure a permanent deal for the Academy of Light product.
The 21-year-old forward returned from over two years on the sidelines when he marked his comeback from a serious knee injury with a substitute appearance for the Black Cats Under-21s in a 3-2 defeat against their Southampton counterparts last August. After making a handful of appearances at academy level over the following three months, Moore was handed an opportunity to experience senior football for the first time when he joined the Heed on loan for the rest of the season in February.
Ethan Moore in action for Gateshead (photo Jack McGraghan)placeholder image
Ethan Moore in action for Gateshead (photo Jack McGraghan) | Jack McGraghan
After making his debut in a 1-0 defeat against Boston United, Moore has gone on to make eight further appearances as Elliot’s side have undergone a remarkable transformation in fortunes that has taken them to within touching distance of pulling off a miraculous escape from relegation into the National League North. Following a 2-1 home defeat against Brackley Town just days after Moore made his debut, the Heed were sitting at the bottom of the National League table and were 11 points from safety. However, a run of just two defeats in their following 14 games has now taken them eight points clear of the drop zone and their National League status will be officially secured if they claim at least two points from their remaining three games.
Moore’s involvement has been limited to substitute appearances - but the Black Cats youngster featured prominently during an impressive Bank Holiday weekend double header as Elliot’s side claimed four points from a visit to Carlisle United and Monday’s home game with Scunthorpe United. He will now hope to make a full debut when his side round off their season with away days at Aldershot Town and Altrincham and a home clash with Jermain Defoe’s Woking over the next fortnight. However, Elliot has admitted he has longer-term plans for Moore after being impressed with the youngster’s attitude and ability over the last two months.
Potential
Gateshead manager Rob Elliot (photo Emilio Kirtley)placeholder image
Gateshead manager Rob Elliot (photo Emilio Kirtley) | Emilio Kirtley
The former Newcastle United goalkeeper told The Echo: “Ethan has been absolutely superb and we know he’s had a really difficult time with injuries. He didn’t really play a lot of football before he came into Gateshead. The temptation is to start him because he’s had such brilliant impact over the last few games - but he is still learning the game, he’s getting his fitness levels back and he was brilliant when he came on against Carlisle but you can still see he is lacking a little bit of match fitness, which is a scary thing.
“He is really driven, he wants to do well, he wants to play, he is emotional in a good way, he can be grumpy if he isn’t playing or hasn’t performed well and that’s good because it’s not done in a disrespectful way because he’s a top lad. I like that desire to do well and we are hoping to get him signed up and sealed for the future because he’s someone that is a pleasure to coach and there is so much potential there.”
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