Match Day Thread Reading U21 v Sunderland U21 - Monday 20th May, 2024 - KO 19:00

Whys Mundle and Hemir not playing? It would be great for their development

 

I'm going

 

Hell of a goal the lad scored for the winner.....you will be forever proud of that one!!

 

Watched a bit on my phone missed the winning goal

 

Sunderland booked their place in the Premier League 2 play-off final following a dramatic 4-3 win in extra-time over Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Monday evening.

An Ellis Taylor superb hat-trick and a Trey Ogunsuyi strike was enough to claim victory. Jayden Wareham, Adrian Akande and Matty Carson scored for the Royals.

Graeme Murty was forced into one change, Timur Tutierov replaced Chris Rigg in the Black Cats’ starting XI following the midfielder's England U17 international call-up.

Sunderland took the lead through in-form captain Taylor on 11 minutes. The right-back collected Caden Kelly’s pass before expertly cutting inside and curling the ball into Coniah Boyce-Clarke’s top right-hand corner with an exquisite finish.

Kelly nearly doubled the visitor's lead a few minutes later, but his goal-bound strike from 20 yards deflected inches wide of Boyce-Clarke’s near post.

Murty’s side should have doubled their lead on 18 minutes, but Boyce-Clarke first denied Tutierov as he raced through on goal before recovering quickly to block Ogunsuyi’s follow-up attempt.

Reading levelled on 24 minutes; Wareham met Michael Stickland's knock-down at the back post to fire past Adam Richardson from close range.

Taylor again caused the home team problems down the right, skipping past his man before firing a low cross into the Royals six-yard box, but Boyce-Clarke was down quickly to save Tommy Watson’s back post strike.

Taylor doubled his tally for the evening on 30 minutes with another superbly rifled strike into Boyce-Clarke’s top right-hand corner.

The Black Cats should have added a third five minutes before the break following Tutierov’s neat cut-back, but Boyce-Clarke was well positioned again to palm Ogunsuyi’s shot away from goal.

Sunderland started the second half quickly, Oliver Bainbridge supplying Tutierov with a simple tap-in if it wasn’t for the outstretched leg of Jacob Borgnis to divert the ball away from danger.

Reading pushed for an equaliser and almost tied the score on 58 minutes when Charlie Wellens’ header from four yards out was hooked clear by Kelly on his goal line.

The host continued to apply the pressure, and came mighty close to equalising when Stickland headed Matty Carson’s floated free kick just wide.

Reading levelled the match on 75 minutes through Akande after the striker latched onto Wareham’s through ball before slotting past Richardson.

The home team took the lead on 78 minutes. Carson dispatched his free kick, finding Richardson’s top corner after John Clarke was adjudged to have been fouled on the edge of the box.

Sunderland almost found a way back into the match deep into added time, but Ogunsuyi failed to keep his shot on target after controlling Kelly’s cut-back.

Taylor was next to try his luck after Kelly initially drove forward, but Boyce-Clarke easily gathered his tame effort.

Taylor equalised for the Black Cats in the dying embers of the match, Watson’s shot was saved, but Taylor lashed home his hat-trick in clinical style.

In a thrilling end-to-end match, the tie entered extra time. First, Henry Fieldson denied the Royals with a goal-saving block, before Richardson pulled off a terrific point-blank save to keep the score level.

Watson almost found Boyce-Clarke’s near post with a drilled effort in the final moments of first-half extra-time.

In the dying embers, Kelly’s curling free-kick into the box found it’s way to Ogunsuyi who trapped the ball and fired into the bottom corner to create ecstatic scenes at the end.

Sunderland will travel to the capital on Sunday afternoon to face Tottenham Hotspur in the PL2 play-off final. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

SAFC XI: Richardson, Taylor © (Lavery 98’), Bell, Fieldson, Bainbridge, Middlemas, H.Jones (Ryder 90+2), Tutierov (J. Jones 98’) Kelly, Watson, Ogunsuyi.

Substitutes: Chibueze, Chungh.

B

 

Once again a very selective report, dont think he mentioned the sending off for one, other observations are indeed contrary to how I saw this game, having said that it was for me the game of the season, and this side have figured in a few contenders, up there ahead of out first teams wins against Southampton and Leeds at home which were rare exceptions to a bloody awful season. We definitely need to keep hold of Murty as I am sure he will be being watched by rivals ahead of us atm, as he is in a league of his own . Bring on the Spurs.
PS get a first team coach anywhere near Murty and we will be playing Spurs every season very very soon. OaU

 

Last night's game should make us all reappraise our views of the set up in the club imo. Dodds and Proctor have been written off as useless, Speakman as arrogant and blinkered, but perhaps we all need to step back, look at the positives and allow KLD to carry on with what's been a monumental task after the way it was run into the dirt.

 

To be fair, few are questioning KLD and the vast majority of fans are behind him lock stock and barrel ,from what I read and discuss, the criticism of Dodds and Proctor as first team coaches are well foundered, results dont lie, and its how Speakman performs from here on in that will determine his future as well as every one else's at the club, its how it works, or it should be. OaU (whatever we are SAFC).

 

Wow a glimpse of the next generation. Brilliant

 

I'm just not that sure mate, they were both there for our promotion and last season's play-offs.

It's not really their job to get results and the players have quite some blame to share. In their defence they started the season with Mowbray then had Dodds, Beale and Dodds again so must've had endless tactics and systems thrown at them.

Looking at last night's game there seems to be a really good spirit in the club ...

... although it's been quite well hidden to be fair.

 

When is it?

Oh, Sunday afternoon.

 

I thought the playing surface was excellent and suited our style ...

... oops

'Saracens vs Harlequins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Saturday 23rd March 2024, KO 15:05'​

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Why do we play away again (unless it’s over two legs)
It’s giving spurs an advantage.
Shouldn’t we be using a neutral venue like Sheffield to make it fair.

 

Spurs finished above us in the table so have home advantage throughout

 

Football is highly circumstantial in my opinion and mental attributes tend to take players further (from youth to senior) than their technical ones, unless they're a really standout talent. The keeper who is now at Coventry for example wasn't a stand out talent for us. The team Henderson came through with, he was considered a lesser prospect than the likes of Jamie Chandler, Colback, Waghorn, Nathan Luscombe etc yet it was his attitude that got Keane to give him a chance.

He will probably drop down to the Conference next season as a free agent, he could get lost in the doldrums of the game as many, many of our young lads have over the years, these lads were considered big talents at the time:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robson_(footballer,_born_1995)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Lynch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Agnew

I agree that keeping players around too long and not integrating them into the first team is a bad idea, the key is in bringing them into the team.

 

I agree mentality is key for players to make it at the top level - they have to want it

Sounds like Taylor is a cracking lad n trainer but i just dont think he has the physicality to ever make it above L1 standard at best.

He can still have a cracking career at L2/national league level

Just dont see the point in offering him a 1 yr deal when there is little chance of him breaking through

A clean break will be good and he can then kick on with hopefully having a very good career

 

I guess my worry is he goes and has a season at, let's say Gateshead, plays a dozen games, ends up at Blyth on loan followed by a season at Darlo and then it's 2026 and he's retired. Many such cases. It's circumstantial, not a reflection of true ability. Again, many such cases.

 

Excellent preparation for the Spurs academy players
- a quick trip to AUSTRALIA



https://x.com/Spurs_Academy/status/1792829006561292525

 

Yeah i get that, unfortunately theres a chance thatll happen but suppose he has to go out n try to make it

He seems to have the menalitity needed to make it - think his big thing is trying to focus on 1 position only and become the best he can at that position, thatll stand him in a better stead to play regularly in senior football

My mates sunday league team had an ex sunderland player playing for them this season (only 6 or 7 games) - he was only released by us when we got promoted to the Championship so shows how tough it is for players to make it