Sunderland travelled south for their first round game in the Checkatrade Trophy, and despite having three senior Black Cat players in the line-up, they could only manage a draw in normal time despite taking the lead through Elliot Embleton.
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“We will see how he is over the next couple of days.”It can only be a positive for the first team though and for Jan himself that he has that game under his belt.”Jason too, this game was flawless for him”.
Sunderland lost out 4-2 on pens.
Denayer said: “I am happy to start playing games, because I didn’t play a lot of games in pre-season or at the start of pre-season”.
“Jason too, this game was flawless for him”. “I spoke to both of them individually before the game and said, “Don’t think of this as just another development-squad game – it’s going to be real”.
After an action packed yet goalless first period, the 17-year-old rose to the occasion five minutes after the restart and netted a sublime effort from the edge of the box.
“It was a good performance because it was a proper first-team game and the first taste of it for a lot of the lads”, he said.
“They won’t have come across that physical nature in the development league and the amount of long balls they had to contend with”. It gave a young group of players a chance to experience what this level is all about.
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“Using the ball quick and getting into positions that are hard for them. We’re disappointed to lose the game on penalties, but that sort of thing happens, and the odd nature of the competition means we’re still off the mark”.
