Joel Lynch played his first football for Sunderland in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Academy of Light on Monday.
The 31-year-old centre-back joined on August 26 after being released by Queens Park Rangers in the summer.
Having largely trained on his own in the summer, Lynch would have been the main beneficiary of the game against Carlisle United, which the hosts won 5-1.
The match was organised to give Sunderland’s fringe players some extra minutes during the international break, which means they do not have another first-team fixture until the August 14 trip to Accrington Stanley.
What was described as a “very strong” side took a 4-0 half-time lead against the League One side, with each side scoring once after the break.
Lynch’s final game for QPR was on Good Friday, in a 2-1 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers.
Alim Ozturk and summer signing Jordan Willis have established themselves as the Black Cats’ first-choice central defensive partnership since the switch from three to four at the back.
