Posh continue their pre-season schedule with a fixture against The Black Cats.
Peterborough United U18s continue their pre-season programme on Saturday morning (11am) as they face Sunderland U18s to build preparation for the Under-18 Professional Development League.
This will be the third fixture in the space of seven days for the under 18s, securing an impressive 5-4 victory over West Ham United last weekend before a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bourne Town on Tuesday evening at Abbey Lawn.
Hugh Alban-Jones reflected on the performance against a strong senior men’s side and was delighted with the performances from the under 16s involved on the evening.
He said: “Bourne was a really good test for the players and completely different to what we have usually faced in pre-season so far, in terms of physicality and style of play. However, I thought the players stood up to them well and competed, especially when you considered the age of our team.
“It was really pleasing to see some under 16s involved and they had a positive impact when they came on, and in the end, we ended the game with actual three under 18s players on the pitch and the rest were trialists or under 16s.”
The Black Cats competed in the Premier League U18 last season, finishing second in the table and just four points behind winners Manchester City, and Alban-Jones believes it’s a good fixture as part of the preparation for the upcoming campaign.
He commented: “This fixture will be very similar to what we expect to face during the season, so it’s a good opportunity for us to start integrating our style of play while also focusing on getting the right amount of minutes for players. However, with the new season getting closer, we will start to focus on in and out of possession, and start to stamp our authority in performances, starting this Saturday."