Stoke City U23s 0-2 Sunderland U23s
Sunderland Under-23s progressed to the Premier League 2 Division 2 Play-Off final with a 2-0 win at Stoke City on Monday evening.
Second-half goals from Josh Hawkes and Oliver Younger was enough to seal the win at the bet365 Stadium.
The Lads will face the winners of Crystal Palace vs Wolves in the final in their bid for Premier League 2 Division 1 football next campaign.
Dan Neil captained the Lads, and was deployed in the centre of midfield with Jake Hackett and the ever-present Sam Wilding.
Younger was partnered by Patrick Almond in the heart of defence, while top goalscorer Hawkes supported striker Will Harris from the left-hand side.
And it was Hawkes who looked the brightest for the Lads in the first half, as he twice went close in front of almost 2000 fans in Staffordshire.
The first came on the 10-minute mark when he flashed a 35-yard free-kick just over the crossbar, before firing narrowly wide of the post soon after following good work by Kenton Richardson.
Stopper Anthony Patterson wasn’t called into action until the 35th minute, as he was equal to Douglas James-Taylor’s glancing header.
Sunderland weathered a Potters storm after the break and they would have been ahead in the 50th minute, but for a last-ditch Almond challenge.
And soon after, James McClean tried his luck from range, but it was straight down the throat of Patterson.
Moments later, the Lads went ahead when Stephen Wearne teed up Hawkes on the edge of the area and he slotted home.
In the 65th minute, Sunderland were in dreamland as Hawkes turned provider for Younger, who glanced a fine header into the top left corner.
Despite 11 minutes of injury time due to multiple stoppages in the second half, the Under-23s saw the game out to progress to the Play-Off final.
Stoke City U23s: Hemfrey, Coates, Jones, Forrester, Taylor, Macari, Malone, Adebambo, James-Taylor, Wright-Phillips, McClean
Subs: Sparrow, Simkin, Sy, Porter, Goodwin
Sunderland U23s: Patterson, K Richardson, Trialist (Dunne 90’), Wilding, Younger, Almond, Wearne, Hackett, Harris, Neil, Hawkes
Subs not used: A Richardson, Trialist, Wombwell, Trialist