Sunderland boss Jack Ross insists that it was a positive for the club on Tuesday night that all the scorers were from the academy, but has also warned the youngsters not to ease off in their progress.
Skipper George Honeyman, midfielder Ethan Robson and academy player Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka all added to the scoresheet as the Black Cats managed to beat League Two side Carlisle United 3-1 to ensure progress in the EFL Trophy.
Ross, while pleased to progress, says that even more pleasing is the fact that all the scorers are academy graduates, including Mbunga-Kimpioka, who is the youngest and is a regular with the Under-23 team.
The 42-year-old manager though insists that uncertainties still persist with regard to the future of young players as it is impossible to predict what will happen.
“It’s another positive for the club that the three goalscorers have all progressed through the academy, albeit they are at different stages of their development”, the manager was quoted as saying by Chronicle Live.
“The thing with young players, and I include Benji who started in that, is that you can never say how their careers will go.
“Obviously we hope this is just the start, but this could be the pinnacle – and I don’t mean that in a negative way, you just do not know what will happen. "
The Black Cats had as many as 14 first-team regulars unavailable for the fixture against Carlisle, forcing Ross to dig deep into his squad to field the team for the match.
