The final reserve game of the season saw the lads fall to a single goal defeat against the Merseyside Reds at Eppleton CW’s Hetton home in the FA Premier Reserve League North.

The Lads lined up with Trevor Carson retaining his place between the sticks with Marton Fulop away chasing Champion’s League footy. Midfielder Robbie Weir filled in at right back, allowing usual right back, and captain Michael Kay, to remain at his ever increasingly common centre back slot partnering Michael Liddle. Midfielder Conor Hourihane filled in at left back and Liam Noble came in for Jamie Chandler and he and Adam Reed provided the engine room whilst the Nathan Luscombe and Liam O’Mahoney provided the width left and right respectively. French youngster Oumare Tounkara and David Dowson led the line.

The first action of the match came in the third minute when French youngster Tounkara burst through the Liverpool defence to find himself one-on-one with the reds keeper but in keeping with his growing ‘Kenwyn Comparison’ reputation, he undid his good initial work by hitting it straight at the keeper who gratefully gathered.

Six minutes later and the Reds had their first real opportunity in not dissimilar fashion to Tounkara, when their number nine, Lauri della Valle, collected a long ball in his stride but hit it straight at Carson.

Just before the quarter hour mark, Nathan Luscombe clipped a ball over to the far post after good work down the left and it found O’Mahoney coming in from the right. The winger’s effort was blocked and as it came back out to him, he found Adam Reed in space, and he squared the ball into the ‘D’ where he found Liam Noble. Nobsa tried to place it into the corner and it looked like a goal with the keeper seemingly beaten but his effort just drifted wide.

Mid-way through the half Liverpool won a right wing corner and whilst Carson went AWOL, della Valle should have opened the scoring but his header went into the side netting.

On the half hour mark Adam Reed picked up a deserved yellow for a silly foul on their della Valle and within two minutes the same Reds player broke the deadlock. The visitors turned defence quickly into attack, breaking down the right hand side. The ball was flicked inside and the man at the centre of most things red, della Valle, ran straight at the heart of the Lads defence. The defenders backed off too much and the Anfield man stroked the ball home from the edge of the box to make it one nil.

Half time came with the Lads having enjoyed a little more of the possession but with the visitors having the all important goal.

H/T: 0 – 1

Little was to change in the second period other than perhaps even more possession for the red and whites as the lads huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow the red door down.

It took until almost the hour mark before we created a really clear cut chance when Lids won ball and played in Dowse who was making his farewell appearance for the club. The Bishops lad cut inside from the left hand channel and shot, but again it was too close to the keeper.

Five minutes later, a ball was cleared by Liverpool high up into the Hetton sky and as it dropped there was Adam Reed just outside box to hit a volley with excellent technique, but again the keeper was equal to it.

On 67 minutes Nathan Luscombe made an excellent run down the left wing but just got out-muscled as he approached the six yard box. Nath perhaps will be glad to see the back of the season having been involved around the first team squad over the last two seasons but the two bad injuries he’s suffered seem to have knocked him back a bit. Hopefully its mind over matter rather than the lingering effects of the injuries and perhaps he can put pressure on the likes of Andy Reid and perhaps Riveros if he signs to fill the unresolved left hand side midfield spot.

The Lads best chance came soon after when Conor Hourihane broke forward from left back and played a good ball to the back post where red and whites were beginning to queue unmarked. O’Mahoney got the chance to strike and yet again the keeper looked beat but the shot hit the woodwork.

On 72 minutes a ball went high in the Liverpool half and Liam Noble went up strongly but caught the man and received a yellow card for his troubles. Just three minutes later and he got his pair as Conor hit a bit of a loose ball and as Nobsa tried to get there, Liverpool’s number six got caught but made not so much a meal of it as a banquet and made sure Nobsa was sent off for the second time at home for the ressies this season. The Pool player made the most of the attention he received from his physio and then bounded back on the pitch like he’d never felt better in his life. The ref gave the big name team all the decisions and continued to book our lads whilst allowing the so called more illustrious team to foul at will.

The half petered out just as the season did with a single goal defeat as we huffed and puffed and indeed battered them for possession especially in the second half, but for all that possession we didn’t work their keeper enough and so finished yet another eventful season with a single goal defeat to the Reds

Full Time: Sunderland Reserves 0 – 1 Liverpool Rovers Reserves

Sunderland: Carson, Weir, Kay, Liddle, Hourihane, O’Mahoney, Liam Noble, Reed, Dowson (Ryan Noble), Tounkara, Luscombe,

Subs unused: Madden, B Wilson, Chandler, Galer,

Man of the Match: Despite another good game from Lids at centre back the final MOTM of the season goes to Conor Hourihane

Attendance: 632

Observations: Michael Hall, Words by Dov