Tony Mowbray on how Sunderland's youthful squad have…

Tony Mowbray on how Sunderland's youthful squad have 're-energised an old guy'

Tony Mowbray has been 're-energised' by his move to Sunderland - and says the youthful squad he inherited has been 'a joy to work with'. Mowbray left Blackburn Rovers at the end of last season after five-and-a-half years in charge at Ewood Park, and took over on Wearside at the end of August following Alex Neil's departure to Stoke City.

Initially he was viewed by many Sunderland fans as simply a safe pair of hands whose abundance of Championship experience would help the club consolidate in its first season back in the second tier. But instead he has overseen a play-off challenge that will go down to the last game of the season and has also given his players license to play some of the most attractive, attacking, football Sunderland supporters have seen in years.

And after last week laughing off a report that he was looking to retire at the end of the current season, the 59-year-old insists he is revelling in his role at Sunderland. "They have been a joy to work with," he said of his players.

"After five-and-a-half years at one club, I have been re-energised here. It works both ways with youthful players.

"I try to bring new ideas to them and their drive, commitment and enthusiasm has re-energised an old guy who had been working five-a-half years at one club. Working with them, they are as good as I've had.

"It has been a joy and enjoyable season and hopefully we can finish strongly."

Sunderland came from 2-0 down to draw against Watford at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, meaning they can still finish in the top six but will need to win at Preston on the final day and another result to go for them elsewhere. But the fact that they are in this position at this stage of the season is an achievement in itself given that the Black Cats finished fifth in League One last term, arriving in the Championship with an inexperienced squad, and have had to contend with a number of serious injuries which have deprived them of star striker Ross Stewart for almost three-quarters of the season, while skipper Corry Evans has been out since January and they have finished off their league campaign without a fit specialist centre-back.

It is the loss of Stewart that Sunderland have felt most acutely, and had he remained fit - or had fellow striker Ellis Simms not been recalled from his loan spell by Everton in January, or had the club brought in another centre-forward before the transfer deadline - they would have almost certainly have secured a play-off place by now. Asked whether it could have become a struggle without Stewart, Mowbray said: "You never know.

"My first emotion was sadness for Ross really [when he ruptured his Achilles in an FA Cup tie at Fulham at the end of January]. He had just come back from a thigh injury, came back, scored a few goals and then innocuously picked up a really bad injury.

"For the team, it was not too much different from when he was previously out [Stewart had missed three months of the season after suffering a thigh injury at the start of September]. You have to find a way and we do have Amad, [Jack] Clarke, [Patrick] Roberts, [Alex] Pritchard, we do have footballers who it might not be their position to run in behind, we tried to develop a gameplan to play with the ball and drag people out of spaces and run into spaces and find a way to score goals.

"Generally, it has gone alright. They have taken on information and enjoyed the challenge.

"Most footbllers if you set them a challenge with is achievable, they will try to make it work."

Tony Mowbray on how Sunderland's youthful squad have 're-energised an old guy'

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