U21 Report: Saints 1-2 Sunderland
Southampton’s Under-21s suffered a narrow defeat against Sunderland in Premier League 2 as the visitors completed a second half comeback at Staplewood.
Ross Stewart stepped up his recovery with a 45 minute appearance and opened the scoring with a well-taken finish.
However, Nectarios Triantis’s bundled finish and an unfortunate Cam Bragg own goal provided a second half turnaround for the Black Cats.
With Sam Amo-Ameyaw, Tyler Dibling, and Jayden Meghoma all en route to the Under-17s World Cup, Saints also handed starts to Jake Vokins, Josh Lett, and Matt Carson.
Ross Stewart started at Staplewood. (Photos: Chris Moorhouse)
Looking to bounce back from Monday night’s defeat, Saints got off to the perfect start as they opened the scoring with the first meaningful chance of the game.
Derrick Abu combined well with Diamond Edwards on the right and the full-back swung in a cross on the overlap, where first team summer signing Stewart was waiting to impressively steer the ball into the bottom corner.
It took until the 20th minute for Josh McNamara to be called into action for the first time as he held well to deny Jewison Bennette’s shot.
Youngster Barnaby Williams, on his second Under-21s start, tried his luck but couldn’t beat Adam Richardson in goal with two attempts either side of an Ellis Taylor effort from the visitors.
Saints found more joy on the right hand side through some trickery from Edwards to lay the ball back to Abu, who fired over from the edge of the area.
The visitors came close to an equaliser as the first half drew to a close, as McNamara denied Connor Pye with an impressive, diving stop before Harry Gardiner fired wide after a good run.
Saints led at the break.
In the second half Princewill Ehibhatiomhan, subbed on in place of Stewart, was denied by a strong one-on-one save that Jake Vokins followed up with an effort blocked on the line.
That was Saints’ best opportunity to extend their lead as the visitors began to take control in search of a way back into the game.
McNamara once again denied the Black Cats with a diving stop to tip Michael Spellman’s shot past the post.
The resistance was eventually broken in the 66th minute, when a Sunderland corner wasn’t cleared and Triantis scrambled the ball home at the far post.
Clear cut chances were hard to come by as a torrential downpour of rain took over the second half, with Sunderland looking the more threatening in truth.
McNamara was on hand with a handful of further saves but he couldn’t prevent what proved to be the winner when a wide free-kick from Taylor was diverted in at the near post by Bragg’s boot.
With another lengthy break before competitive action returns at the end of the month, Saints will remain outside the PL2 playoff places after suffering back-to-back defeats this week.
Saints: McNamara, Abu (Awe 90), Armitage, Hewlett, Carson, Bragg (c), Edwards (Merry 73), Lett (Davis 78), Stewart (Ehibhatiomhan 46), Williams, Vokins.
Subs not used: Upstell.
Goals: Stewart 7.
Yellow Cards: Vokins 57.
Sunderland: Richardson, Taylor (c), Pye, Burke (Chiabi 90+2), Triantis, Fieldson, Bennette, Jones (Middlemas 70), Gardiner, Spellman, Watson (Ashia 60).
Subs not used: Chibueze, Bell.
Goals: Triantis66, Bragg (own goal) 82,.
Yellow Cards: Middleman 90+1.
