After Sunderland's 0-0 draw at Turf Moor, Tony Mowbray praised the likes of Trai Hume and Luke O'Nien. He also believes Pierre Ekwah will benefit from a difficult first senior start.
HUME
"Trai Hume is just a wonderful footballer, really. I haven't seen the right-back for Northern Ireland, I don't know who he is - I think he is on loan from one of the big Premier League clubs - but he must be some player to keep Trai Hume out of the team!"
BRILLIANT GROUP
"I think they are brilliant listeners, good at taking on information, they are a brilliant group of players to work with. They listen, nod their heads, they can see what you are trying to say and they want to make it happen."
BATTH
"They are just really, really, talented young footballers who want to be better footballers. You have to mention Danny Batth - he is a man amongst boys and he has done amazingly well for this club and been the rock in the middle of that defence."
O'NIEN / GOOCH
"O'Nien is not a boy but he has amazing enthusiasm and mobility, two brilliant feet. I've talked about the full-backs and Goochy was fantastic, stopping crosses and putting his body on the line. They were excellent."
EKWAH
"People need experience, otherwise how do you ever get up to speed? Pierre has now played in a game against the top team in the league, and it'll be an amazing experience for him. I've been saying to him from day one that he has to get up to speed."
U23 VS SENIOR FOOTBALL
"He's been playing U23s football all his life. He's never played a first-team game really, so here we go, playing against men whose life depends on winning football matches. That's a big difference from the U23s, where you get told to stand in a position and play to A or B or C. He was in the middle of a proper football match on Friday night, with men. It'll have been a good experience for him."
