Sunderland’s Under 21s ran riot in the Premier League 2 playoffs as they emphatically triumphed over Wolves 4-1, with one youngster being compared to Jack Clarke.
The young Black Cats were on fire on Monday night. In the Premier League 2 playoffs they faced a strong Wolves side with both teams aiming to reach the quarter-finals.
The Old Gold started multiple players who have received first-team action throughout the season. Nathan Fraser was the most notable of these with the striker starting multiple games for Wolves this season.
However, Sunderland produced a sensational display to completely demolish the Premier League outfit 4-1 despite going 1-0 down on the cusp of half-time.
Sunderland ‘could have won by more’ against Wolves
Despite Fraser giving Wolves the lead right on half-time, this did not dishearten Sunderland.
Ben Middlemas equalised just before the hour mark as the Black Cats turned the tide of the game. Trey Ogunsuyi then put Sunderland in front before Tom Watson added a third in the 86th minute.
Wolves then went down to 10 men in added time before Timur Tutierov finished the game off late on.
Journalist Matty Hewitt, who is the editor of We Are Sunderland, was blown away by the performance. He commented on X, formerly Twitter, that their display was ‘comprehensive’ and that ‘they could have scored more’ on the day.
Is Caden Kelly the next Jack Clarke?
The Stadium of Light faithful have had little to shout about this season. Sunderland’s first team completely fell off a cliff in 2024.
However, Sunderland’s academy seems brighter than ever. Multiple fans took to social media to express how impressed they were with the display.
One youngster who was particularly impressive was Caden Kelly. The winger picked up three assists during the match in a ruthless display. His second assist was particularly eye-catching as he backheeled the ball to Ogunsuyi to give the Black Cats the lead.
Many Sunderland fans were full of praise for the winger believing that Kelly ‘ran the show’ against Wolves. One of the Black Cats faithful claimed that Kelly was ‘class’ for Sunderland.
Another made the comparison that Kelly reminded him of star man Jack Clarke after his sensational display.
Sunderland’s future is extremely bright
No matter the situation with Sunderland’s first team at the moment, it is clear that the academy has plenty of potential.
Up against a formidable opponent, they overcame Wolves with ease despite them boasting plenty of Premier League experience.
Whoever becomes the next Sunderland manager this summer must give first-team minutes to these young prospects.
The club has already seen Chris Rigg become a regular in the starting XI this season. This showcases that, despite their age, many of these academy prospects could push for first-team football next season.
Hopefully, over the coming seasons, these starlets will be able to fulfil their potential.