Sunderland U21s assistant coach John Hewitson has named the two players who took a leading role in last night’s win.
Sunderland U21s enjoyed a dramatic win over West Ham in the PL2 play-off quarter-finals last night.
After beating Wolves last week, the Black Cats faced second-place West Ham in the quarters.
Despite falling behind on three occasions, goals from Ellis Taylor, Caden Kelly and Tom Watson took the clash all the way to a penalties.
Sunderland enjoyed a flawless shootout and claimed a huge victory to take them through to the semi-finals, where they will take on Reading.
The U21s have been in brilliant form recently, but many of the players won’t have been accustomed to the pressure that accompanies penalty shootouts, however they mastered it perfectly.
Sunderland U21s have some ‘really good characters’
Hewitson has shifted the credit for their success to two ‘really good characters’, who stepped up to lead the team talk at full-time.
Speaking to theSunderland Echo, the coach said: “A lot of it was player-led. We have some really good characters in the group so Ellis Taylor, the captain, and Caden Kelly pretty much did the talk, just in terms of ‘be confident, understand where you’re going, don’t change your mind,’ all them little things.
“The players stepped forward and did that for us and sometimes that’s probably more beneficial when they take ownership so we’re really happy with that stance.
“The last few games with it being a knockout competition we have planned for it (a penalty shootout) but it’s very difficult to recreate the atmosphere. I think the locals did us a favour trying to put them off, banging the boards, and there was a really good atmosphere tonight. We’ve given them a real spectacle of a game so hopefully they’ll keep coming back next season.”
What does the U21s’ success mean for their senior team chances?
The recent success of the U21s team is so promising for the senior squad, who haven’t had much to celebrate since last season.
Ellis Taylor is one player whose future at the club remains uncertain as he approaches the end of his contract, but his performances and leadership in the play-offs won’t go unnoticed by the board.
Meanwhile, impressive displays elsewhere could really give the new manager something to think about as they look to rebuild a depleted squad.
If a number of key players are to leave this summer then there could be some opportunity for the U21s, though the club will want to avoid overcrowding the team with young players once again.
Tom Watson remains a player who will surely be involved in the senior squad next season though, having now picked up four goal contributions in two play-off matches.
