Sunderland Reserves completed their pre-season friendly programme with a resounding 6-2 win away at Northern League side Hebburn Town.

Sunderland kicked off and looked sharp early on with their attacking players in particular looking up for the test and it was a surprise that it took 28 minutes for the lads to open the scoring. O’Donovan dropped deep played an excellent one-two with Liddle and cutting in from wide on the left pushed the ball past the on coming keeper, his shot bouncing in off the back post.

Graham Kavanagh ran the show from midfield and was unlucky twice soon after the opening goal. His first effort saw him bursting through Hebburn’s back line but was unable to get more than a toe to Dowson’s good cross and then minutes later he saw a free kick from just outside the box narrowly miss the top right corner of the goal.

Against the run of play, Tony Howson levelled things for the home side on 42 minutes shooting into the net beyond the reach of Martin Hunter from 10 yards

The lads immediately stepped up a gear and Dowson’s excellent ball put Dennehy through to shoot low into the far corner to restore their lead. There was still time before the break for Hysen to have an effort cleared off the line after Dennehy and Dowson had combined well in the box.

Half time: 1-2

The second half began as the first had ended with Sunderland pushing forward and Hebburn’s substitute keeper Gary Rogers pulled off a fine save low to his right from Jake Richardson’s powerful shot. The shot would have been chalked off by a late linesman’s flag although it wasn’t as late as the linesman and his colleagues were for the second half as the rumour circulated that their tardiness was due to being locked in their changing room by one of the Hebburn lads…..allegedly.

Roy O’Donovan continued to impress and had another effort cleared off the line five minutes after the restart. On 56 minutes Dowson showed great pace to burst down the right wing and put an excellent cross in for Dennehy to stroke home an easy side footer from 6 yards…..perhaps he could give big Stern a few pointers from that sort of range.

It wasn’t all one way traffic though and Hunter did well just before the hour mark to palm the tireless Garry McCartney’s effort over the bar after good work again from Hanson.

On 66 minutes Waghorn, Kay and Chandler replaced Dowson, Liddle and Richardson and it took all of sixty seconds for the replacements to have an impact. A week after Sir Royston laid in to them horrible WAGS it was a young lad known to his family and friends as Wags who came on and had an instant impact scoring the goal of the game curling a sublime left foot shot from just outside the box into the far top corner giving the keeper absolutely no chance.

Cook and McArdle then replaced O’Donovan and Hartley and it was the former who within a minute crossed well, only for Wags to put the ball narrowly past the post.

On 71 minutes the lads made it 5v1 as their extra fitness started to show and Hysen’s excellent run climaxed with his shot cannoning back off the post for Wags to follow up from 12 yards.

Gavin Donoghue, captain for the evening, then gave away a cheap penalty for handling the ball after appearing to misread the bounce and Ryan Dunn passed the ball into net sending Hunter the wrong way.

Hysen who had played on the right up to this point then played the final 15 minutes on the left, swapping with man of the match Dennehy, who didn’t command enough possession of the ball but his contributions were decisive when they came.

The final goal of the game came ten minutes from time, Cook scoring from just inside the box after Waghorn’s effort had been blocked following good work again from Dennehy.

Kavanagh was still full of running late in the game and burst through with three minutes remaining only to see his 20 yard effort go just the wrong side of the post. No doubt Kav will be hoping with Keano’s midfield options thinning due to injury and lack of form that the gaffer may feel that he has done enough to earn a place back in the first team picture for the weekend. Here’s hoping so.

Final Score: Hebburn Town 2v 6 Sunderland Reserves

Sunderland Reserves: Hunter, Weir, Hartley (McArdle), Donoghue (cpt), Liddle (Kay), Hysen, Kavanagh, Richardson (Chandler), Dennehy, O’Donovan (Cook), Dowson (Waghorn)

Man of the Match: Billy Dennehy

Spot of the Match: Craig Russell watching from the sidelines

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