Arbenit Xhemajli made his first-team comeback after more than a year out with a serious knee ligament injury, as Sunderland took on Oldham Athletic in the EFL Trophy.
The Kosovo defender damaged his knee ligaments while on international duty in October last year, and he returned to action with Sunderland's U23s last month and has been steadily building up his gametime and match fitness.
With Lee Johnson prioritising Saturday's home league game against Oxford United for understandable reasons, Xhemajli's inclusion was one of a raft of changes made from last weekend's league win at Cambridge with Leon Dajaku the only survivor from the starting XI that began at the Abbey Stadium.
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Lee Burge returned from a hip flexor injury to replace Thorben Hoffmann in goal, with the competition rules preventing youngster Anthony Patterson being involved after he had been recalled from his loan spell at Notts County recently.
Xhemajli played in the middle of a three-man defence, with Frederik Alves to his right and Ollie Younger to his left.
Dajaku played right wingback, with Cieran Dunne on the opposite flank.
Aiden O'Brien and Sam Wilding were the central midfielders, with Elliot Embleton playing ahead of them in the number ten position.
And Will Harris and Benji Kimpioka started up front.
Oldham boss Selim Benachour made seven changes to the side that started their weekend defeat at Salford.
In came Jordan Clarke, Ousseynou Cisse, Nick Adams, Hallam Hope, Jack Stobbs, Benny Couto, and Harry Vaughan, with Sam Hart, Harrison McGahey, Zak Dearnley, Dylan Fage, Jamie Bowden, Dylan Bahamboula, and Jamie Hopcutt making way.
You can follow all the action as it happens in our live match blog here.
Tonight's teams
Sunderland: Burge, Dajaku, Alves, Xhemajli, Younger, Dunne, O'Brien, Wilding, Embleton, Harris, Kimpioka
Subs: Carney, Almond, Dyce, Kachosa, Wearne, Scott, Johnson
Oldham Athletic: Leutwiler, Clarke, Cisse, Piergianni, Adams, Whelan, Hope, Keillor-Dunn, Stobbs, Couto, Vaughan
Subs: Southerington, McGahey, Dearnley, Bowden, Diarra, Bahamboula, Hopcutt
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