Middlesbrough Reserves 4 Sunderland Reserves 1
Scorers: Middlesbrough - Porritt (7m), Grounds (10m), Craddock (27m), Lee (81m); Sunderland - Chandler (44m)
Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 269
Tuesday April 1, 2008

Sunderland were left feeling like April Fools, after a young reserves were soundly beaten by Middlesbrough.

Our second string featured several players with first team experience, but with only Liam Miller in the side having any senior experience this season, it was inevitable that our side would either be rusty or inexperienced.

That proved to be the case in the seventh minute, when Boro took the lead through young winger Nathan Porritt received a cross from Dong Gook Lee before firing the ball into the far corner. Ross Turnbull saved from Jake Richardson as we tried to score an instant equaliser, but Boro doubled the lead moments later, when Gaizka Mendieta's cross was headed in by Jonathan Grounds.

Liam Miller saw a 25 yarder saved by Turnbull on 19 minutes, before a series of defensive blunders let Jonathan Franks in on goal, only for Carson to deny the midfielder a minute later.

Sunderland fell three goals behind just before the half hour mark, when Trevor Carson raced outside the box to try and cut out a Middlesbrough cross, only for the keeper to lose the ball to Tom Craddock, who had a relatively simple task of scoring.

Jamie Chandler pulled one back just before half time with a first time effort from just inside the area, before Gavin Donoghue missed a chance to make it 3-2 shortly after the restart, heading a Jake Richardson corner just wide of goal.

Although Sunderland got back into the game in the second half, they didn't create many more chances, seeing lone striker Jordan Cook booked for a dive in the box. However, the game was sealed with nine minutes left, when Porritt's cross was turned in off the bar by Dong Gook Lee, to ensure a home win.

Sunderland: Carson, Wright, M'voto, Pelter (sub 46, Donoghue), Dennehy, Weir (sub 89, Colback), J Richardson (sub 68, Henderson), Miller, Chandler, Luscombe, Cook.

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, McMahon, Corker, Johnson (sub 75, Martin), Williams, Grounds, Franks (sub 52, Cronesberry), Mendieta (sub 46, Hillerby), Craddock, Lee, Porritt.