Gary Owers Commends Sunderland’s Fearless Young Talent

Chris Rigg, at just 17 years old, has achieved five goals across 41 Championship appearances. A distinguished former academy player from Sunderland has expressed high commendation for the club’s current generation of promising young footballers. Despite only reaching the age of 17 in June, Chris Rigg has been included in the starting lineup for 19 of Sunderland’s 21 league matches. Similarly, 18-year-old Tommy Watson made six consecutive starts, prior to missing Saturday’s match against Swansea due to an injury, having previously scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Stoke earlier this month. This season, fellow academy product Dan Neil was appointed as the team captain, while Anthony Patterson holds the position of first-choice goalkeeper. Additionally, Zak Johnson, Harrison Jones, and Trey Ogunsuyi have also been integrated into the first-team squad during the current season. Gary Owers, a native of Sunderland, progressed through the Black Cats’ academy system in the 1980s. He went on to accumulate over 300 appearances for the club, including participating in the 1992 FA Cup Final. Following his time at Sunderland, Owers joined Bristol City and, after a period in management, now serves as a summariser for BBC Radio Bristol. Speaking to the Sunderland website, Owers stated: “They are brilliant young talents. I think it’s great for the club as they’ve built a reputation for producing young players. “More importantly I think it’s great for the supporters who really associate with young players coming through. They play without any fear.”Hopefully we can keep them because often at this level, anyone that shows any signs of talent often leaves.” He further commented: “Sunderland belong in the Premier League, they’ve got unbelievable support.”The manager (Regis Le Bris) has come in and had an impact. Hopefully they can keep that momentum and it can take them all the way to the end of the season so the fans can celebrate.”