Sunderland teen's next target after training ground wow moment & dream comes true

SUNDERLAND youngster Harrison Jones has had a taste of the first team this season having twice been named on the bench - but a couple of constant reminders from a boss and a teammate ensure all of the club's academy players keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Firstly, Under-21s boss Graeme Murty regularly tells his young players "you can never say you've made it until you've made 100 league appearances".

And secondly, when Harrison has trained with the first team - a regular occurrence - the man he's tasked with marking is Dan Neil - which is something of an eye-opener, admits the 19-year-old.

"I can't get near him," laughed Harrison, who was on the scoresheet for Sunderland's Under-21s in the 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday that secured a place in the end of season Premier League 2 play-offs.

"But I'm always picking up little things like how to follow him, how to mark him, what he does well, playing round the corners and forward, which I'm trying to do more in my game.

"Every minute on the pitch with the first team in training is a learning minute. They're obviously at the next level, which I'm trying to get to, so being on the pitch with them, you pick up so much.

"I had lots of mentorship with Pritch (Alex Pritchard) before he left. I did some one-to-ones with Corry (Evans), who's been great. He obviously has lots of experience and is club captain so it's great to get his advice and help."

Midfielder Jones got his first taste of first team involvement when he was named on the bench for the defeat at Southampton in March, and he kept his place in the squad for the home game against QPR the following week.

"It was a great experience, a moment I'd dreamed about since I was a little kid," he says.

"I was told on the Thursday. The first call I made was to my dad and my family. They were obviously proud of me and I have to say a big thanks to them because they helped me get to this point, all the travelling up and down the A1. It's all thanks to them."

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Jones' contract was due to expire this year but Sunderland exercised their option to extend the deal by 12 months - and Jones is desperate to now kick on.

He says: "It's been a great year for me, I've gained loads of experience, playing in the 21s first of all and having the opportunity to be on the bench for the first team, it's a lifetime opportunity and I'll keep trying to work hard for more and hopefully get on the pitch eventually.

"In the next year I'm aiming for  more development, lots of playing time, staying fit, which I have done this year, and hopefully more first team opportunities and get on the pitch, that's the aim."