ROKER ROUNDUP: Report claims Sunderland are keen on exciting young former Middlesbrough winger

Molyneux discusses loan debut

Luke Molyneux made a loan move to Gateshead on Friday and was immediately thrown into the first team as he started the very next day in a National League game away to Ebbsfleet United.

The 20-year-old impressed on his debut and he has been talking about his experience on Gateshead’s official website:

It was a very good game, it was great to be part of the team straight away and I thought we did very well to get such a good result. All of the lads played amazingly well and dug deep in the second half to come away with three points.

It was a very hard worked clean sheet today, it’s a lot different from under-23s football and even Championship, League One football to some degree.

It’s physical and not all about passing the ball around well, you have to mix your game up a lot more and get really stuck in.

My first impression of the squad is that they are a really good set of lads who most importantly, all work hard for each other and stick at it until the last minute as you saw today.

I thought it was a very tough game, tough for me being involved for the first time at this level but it was good to get out on the pitch because it’s something that will help me progress and become a better player.

I got snapped quite a few times to be honest!

But that’s what I’d expect, you’re not going to get a lot of time on the ball and for me to take players on, I’ve got to be prepared to be snapped every so often too.

I feel fine physically though and I’m just looking forward to the next game now.

Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Sunderland linked with non-league prospect

The window may have just closed but we are still being linked with new players, with Whitby Town winger Junior Mondal the latest player to be linked with a move to Sunderland.

According to former Sky Sports reporter Pete O’Rourke, Sunderland - along with League One rivals Scunthorpe United - are tracking the ex-Middlesbrough player.

The 21-year-old signed a new one-year contract (with the option of an additional year) with Whitby last month and, speaking at the time, the Yorkshire club’s manager Chris Hardy was hoping the new contract would allow Mondal to kick on:

Junior is an exciting talent. He’s in a good place at the moment.

We’re hopeful of getting him regular football and getting him on the scoresheet regularly as well.

Hopefully if he performs regularly, it will give him a really good platform to go and do some good things in the game.

Ferdinand joins St Mirren on trial

Former Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand has joined Scottish Premiership side St Mirren on trial in the hopes of winning a contract.

The defender could have faced Sunderland this season in the league but he left fellow League One side Southend United last month and has now linked up with Jack Ross’ former club.

St Mirren recently fired another former Sunderland defender in Alan Stubbs and have brought in Coleraine manager Oran Kearney as his replacement.

Seat replacement continues

Sunderland’s face-lift of the Stadium of Light is continuing with the North Stand having it’s faded seats replaced.

Volunteers have been turning up to help install the shiny new red seats and they’ll be in action for the first time when we face Rochdale a week on Saturday.