It was a nice day down to Darlington for the Sunderland fans who appreciated seeing a strong team and enjoyed the sun in the Northern Echo Arena.
Eric Black took control of the first team as Bruce and Quinn missed the game through a charity event for the late Bobby Robson.
Sunderland looked good in possession and Darlington really made them work hard for the result. The only bad side of the day was how Black had to replace Lee Cattermole after thirty minutes due to a groin problem. It is reported that Cattermole may have to see a groin specialist in order to fix his constant injuries.
Sunderland fans also got to see the new faces of Mignolet in goal and also Al-Muhammadi, who replaced Cattermole. The Egyptian showed some flashes of pace and neat touches in his opening game and will look for more games as the season approaches.
The game was settled in the second half with after a cross in by Al-Muhammadi deflected to the Bolo Zenden for him to strike home from outside the area.
This is exactly what pre-season is all about with players looking to improve their fitness and game plan.
Sunderland have now won both of their pre season games and will now head out to Portugal for warm up games against Hull, Brighton and Benfica.
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