Sunderland's pre-season got off to a solid start with back-to-back wins in their double-header against South Shields and Gateshead. First up was Julio Arca's newly-promoted National League North side at lunchtime, with the Black Cats winning 4-3 at the 1st Cloud Arena thanks to Chris Rigg's last-minute strike, with Jack Clarke scoring twice and summer signing Hemir also on target.
Then it was a dash to the International Stadium to take on Mike Williamson's National League Heed side where Sunderland came from 2-0 down to win 3-2, with Dan Neil, Niall Huggins, and Michael Spellman scoring the goals. Tony Mowbray was unable to call upon a number of senior men such as Ross Stewart, Corry Evans, Elliot Embleton, Dennis Cirkin, Danny Batth, Aji Alese, and new signing Jenson Seelt, who are all at various stages in their comebacks from injury.
And new addition Nectarios Triantis was also absent, having only just flown back to the North East after having been given some extra time off at home in Australia following the late finish to his season. Mowbray split his first-team squad in order to name strong starting lineups in both games, but made multiple changes in the second halves which meant that by full-time Sunderland were fielding teams made up entirely of youngsters.
Here are a few of the talking points that came out of the two games.
READ MORE: 'He loves playing here' - Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray addresses Jack Clarke transfer speculation
Hemir on target
Sunderland fans got their first look at Portuguese striker Hemir in the game at South Shields and will have liked what they saw. The 19-year-old has the physical attributes that last season the Black Cats lacked when Stewart was injured and on-loan Everton frontman Ellis Simms was recalled.
At 6ft 4in he offers an aerial threat and an out-ball, and he also showed some neat touches and a willingness to run and work hard for the team. He scored Sunderland's first goal at the beginning of the second half, getting up above the defence to nod home Isaac Lihadji's chipped cross.
The former Benfica man is clearly still getting to grips with a new country and a different style of play, but he showed a lot of promise.
First impressions of Jobe Bellingham
Bellingham was the other summer signing in action yesterday, and he played more than 75 minutes of the match at Gateshead. The 17-year-old former Birmingham City midfielder was the new face that most Sunderland fans were looking forward to seeing in red and white, and he demonstrated his potential.
His first touch was good and he linked the play well in a team that started off with Alex Pritchard operating as a false nine, and later ended up with Jewison Bennette playing through the middle. He also brought some physical presence to the midfield, which is something Sunderland certainly need.
Jack Clarke shines despite transfer talk
Clarke was Sunderland's stand-out player in the first game at Shields, playing 74 minutes of the match, scoring two goals - and on another day he could have ended up with a hat-trick, as he was also twice denied by the woodwork. The winger has been the subject of transfer talk over the summer with Burnley having seen multiple bids for him knocked back.
But it does not seem to have affected him on the pitch, and he certainly showed no signs of going through the motions - he looked sharp in the final third and was the best player on the pitch. Mowbray was asked about the interest in Clarke and his answer, 'he loves playing here, he's in no rush to leave', will have offered Sunderland fans hope that the club can resist the temptation to cash in or, at the very least, will not let him leave on the cheap.
Leaking goals - but fighting back
Sunderland conceded first in both games, but showed good spirit to come back and win - with the decisive goals at Shields and Gateshead coming late in the game when the youngsters were on the pitch. Sunderland had a long list of defensive injuries but, nevertheless, Mowbray will not have enjoyed seeing his teams concede five goals in two games against non-league opposition.
Shields took the lead twice against the Black Cats and also pegged them back to 3-3 before the Wearsiders eventually won the game. Gateshead scored twice in the space of a couple of minutes midway through the first half to leave Sunderland in trouble before they belatedly got back in the game, hauled themselves level, and then found a winner.
Mowbray will need to plug those defensive gaps before the season starts.
Scoring goals with limited strikers
The other side to the above is that Sunderland did manage to score seven goals despite having only one available senior striker - Hemir - in their ranks. Mowbray was able to joke about it after the game, saying he does still need more strikers but that he couldn't complain too much in the circumstances.
It won't be a laughing matter, though, if Sunderland go into the new season short of attacking options with Ross Stewart set to miss the start of the season as he recovers from injury and last season's top scorer Amad having returned to Manchester United at the end of his loan spell.
Chris Rigg celebrates in style
Hebburn-born Rigg scored the winning goal at Shields, coming off the bench to find the net in the 89th minute. It was the perfect way for the 16-year-old to celebrate signing a two-year scholarship deal with the club after months and months of speculation that he might leave to sign up for either Newcastle United or Manchester United.
Rigg became the youngest outfielder in the club's history when he made his debut in the FA Cup in January, and it will be interesting to see to what extent he is involved next season.
Danny Batth's absence
The one absentee for which there was no explanation - at least, until after the Gateshead game - was Danny Batth. The big centre-back was not involved in either friendly and, with a report having emerged last weekend linking him with a move to Blackburn Rovers, fans began to wonder if something was afoot.
But Mowbray confirmed that Batth, who missed out on the run-in last season with a knee injury, was left out because of a knock and that he will be travelling with the team this week to the USA. He did not kill off the transfer talk, however, essentially suggesting that it would be up to Batth to decide whether to accept that he will get less gametime on Wearside next season.
Niall Huggins' new position
Huggins has endured a nightmare two years on Wearside, with injuries wrecking his time at the club and restricting him to just eight appearances - four of them starts - in that period. But at last he arrives at a pre-season where he is fit and ready to go, and against Gateshead the defender played in an unfamiliar central midfield role.
He performed well in that position, though, and was on target in the second half when he scored the Black Cats' equaliser. Mowbray said afterwards that Huggins now needs to prove that he is robust enough to cope with the demands of regular football.
If he can do that, he will be a big asset next season.
