Sunderland U21s did something remarkable in their defeat to Newcastle United yesterday.
Sunderland U21s were on the hunt for their first league win since January as they hosted Newcastle United at the Academy of Light.
The Black Cats were beaten 3-2 by the Magpies, but it was a match that meant much more for the senior members of the squad.
While the match featured a number of the U21s’ usuals such as Oli Bainbridge, and Harrison Jones, half of the starting line-up consisted of first team players.
Corry Evans made his comeback after 14 months on the sidelines, while Nathan Bishop, Timothee Pembele, Pierre Ekwah, Bradley Dack and Mason Burstow were all handed starts.
The Northern Ireland international netted an absolute ‘belter’ to take Sunderland level in the first half, but the senior stars’ presence wasn’t enough to claim the three points on home turf.
While many supporters were keeping an eye on the performances in the Wear-Tyne derby, some fans noticed one interesting stat about the line-up.
The average age of the U21s team last night was actually higher than that of the team that started against QPR at the Stadium of Light at the weekend.
With Evans and Dack increasing the average age dramatically, last night’s team came out at 22.1 years old – while Saturday’s line-up was 21.2 years old.
This is older than three of the line-ups that the senior team has put out this term, while it is over a year higher than their youngest of the campaign and also the youngest in the Championship (21).
It’s a very interesting stat, but hardly a good one for Mike Dodds’ side.
Can Corry Evans be the idol Sunderland are missing?
While it is made up by some of Sunderland‘s oldest players, it shows how inexperienced the Black Cats are without their very few senior stars.
The U21s will be much younger once Evans and Dack return to the first team, and it could be the former that really makes a difference on Wearside.
If the veteran can be fit to face Cardiff or Blackburn Rovers after the international break, then I would see no reason not to play him.
If Evans can help these younger players and encourage us to pick up some points then maybe not all hope will be lost for the remainder of the campaign – though no doubt we will offload him for free in the summer anyway.