Roker Roundup: Your rundown of random Sunderland news!

Another trophy for the U21s

A clever brace from Aaron Connolly and a trademark strike from Tommy Watson gave the U21s a Premier League Cup victory at Huddersfield Town in midweek, but the club have also revealed details of a separate tournament they will be taking part in this season will participate. The National League Cup is a 32-team competition consisting of participating teams from Premier League 2 and the first teams from the Vanarama National League. The two best-placed players from the four groups of eight advance to the knockout rounds.

Graeme Murty’s side were initially placed in Group C and will play in the following four away games;

5^Th November Boston United

19^Th November Tamworth

4^Th December Gateshead

28^Th January Halifax Town

See the team in training

The half-term holidays are just around the corner and parents looking for something to do may want to take their children to the open training session at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday 29th^Th October.

Previous events were well attended and the young people were able to talk to the players afterwards and get autographs/selfies. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and the team enters the field at around 11:00 a.m. The Foundation of Light will also be on site and offer various activities. Under 14s have free entry provided they are accompanied by a paying adult.

Tickets can be purchased here. Event Information Screen – eTickets (eticketing.co.uk)

Aaron is settling in

Connolly’s Yorkshire goals followed another impressive performance against Derby County Under-21s at Eppleton earlier this month, in which he also scored. It appears he is enjoying being able to get back on the pitch after using the recent World Mental Health Day to talk about some of the personal issues that have hampered his career recently.

It was an extremely brave step which will hopefully serve as support or encouragement for others to seek help and all hope that the Republic of Ireland international is given the care and understanding he needs as he takes this checkered road to recovery .

Pedro is also settling in

New deputy head coach Pedro Ribeiro has set to work at the Academy of Light and will hopefully prove to be a smart hire.

The Portuguese has an extensive CV and has joined Régis Le Bris’ existing team, which includes fellow assistant head coach Mike Dodds, first team coach Michael Proctor and goalkeeping boss Alessandro Barcherini. The increase in backroom staff is expected to allow Dodds to focus on some of his areas of expertise – he is considered an excellent one-on-one coach – but it is good to note that Le Bris has allowed his colleagues to do so so far , to concentrate on some of his areas of expertise a little freedom and variety in terms of professional activity. For example, while a dedicated set-piece coach is still needed, those already here have contributed to various aspects and it appears that the players appreciate the collaborative approach.

Show racism the red card

Today is Wear Red Day, a national day of action on behalf of the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. The organization has spread its message of unity, tolerance and inclusion over the past decade and once again calls on its supporters to take part in the fight against racism by remaining aware of the problems associated with it.

You can show solidarity by sharing your Wear Red Day photos on social media (using the hashtag #WRD24) or by making a donation to support much-needed education programs. For their part, Sunderland have confirmed that their game against West Bromwich Albion will take place on June 26th^Th November 2024 will be dedicated to the topic “Show racism the red card”. For more information about the movement, visit https://www.theredcard.org.

Can Kelly be a hero in Darlington?

Prospect Caden Kelly has followed in the footsteps of teammate Matty Young and agreed to join Vanarama National League North side Darlington on an initial one-month loan deal.

Goalkeeper Young really impressed at the Quakers last season and attacking midfielder Kelly will be hoping to make a similar impact on Steve Watson’s team, while proximity to Wearside means Sunderland remain capable of attracting former Manchester City and Salford hopefuls City to keep an eye on. Young has since done the opposite and is spending a year at Salford, where he has made three first-team appearances so far.