Sunderland travelled to League One’s Doncaster Rovers for their penultimate friendly last night and they lost it 2-0 to continue what has been a poor build-up to the new Premier League season.
Dick Advocaat’s side open up against Leicester in 10 days’ time and last night the head coach handed first games to the new signings Jermain Lens and Younès Kaboul. Sebastián Coates also made a first appearance since signing after his loan spell from Liverpool last season.
The friendly was Sunderland’s first in the UK since their three-game north America tour which saw them lose to Sacramento and Pachuca before winning against the MLS side Toronto, and it produced a third defeat out of five. Inevitably it also sparked more calls from fans for further investment in the squad.
Lens, had a good game, the £8m man taking the limelight from Kaboul who came on at the interval after recovering from injury though Sunderland – who had seen Patrick van Aanholt hit his own post early-on – were already trailing after falling behind on the quarter-hour mark.
Harry Forrester’s looped cross from the right found Cedric Evina unmarked and he had time to cushion a half-volley beyond Costel Pantilimon.
Sunderland went close just before half-time when Lens picked out the run of Steven Fletcher who despite a heavy first touch laid the ball back to Jermain Defoe just inside the area, but his low shot was deflected inches over by a defender.
Kaboul was one of four substitutes introduced at the interval but it was another of those replacements, Danny Graham, who had the best chance when his first-time shot was well gathered low to his left by the Doncaster goalkeeper.
And it was the home side who doubled their advantage just after the hour mark when Jack Rodwell was sloppy in clearing a low pull-back from the left .He thrashed the ball into the back of Harry Middleton and it rebounded into the path of Forrester, who sent a half-volley beyond Pantilimon into the far corner.
Doncaster Stuckmann (Marosi, 82), McCullough, Taylor-Sinclair, Butler, Jones, Evina (McKay, 86), Wellens (Carberry, 86), Coppinger (Mandeville, 83), Middleton (Lindley, 86), Keegan (Whitehouse, 67), Forrester (Pugh, 83).
Sunderland Pantilimon, Jones (Matthews, 63), O’Shea (Kaboul, h-t), Coates (Beadling, 63), Can Aanholt, Cattermole (Larsson, h-t), Rodwell (Bridcutt, 71), Johnson (Buckley, 82), Lens (Watmore, 82), Defoe (Giaccherini, h-t), Fletcher (Graham, h-t). Subs not used: Pickford, Mannone. Attendance 5,776.
