NEW signing Andy Welsh, who is 21 today, made his first start in a Sunderland shirt last night.

But there was no celebrations for the ex-Stockport left winger as Sunderland's second string lost 1-0 at Aston Villa.

Welsh had one chance to make a swift impression, but screwed a shot wide with only keeper Stefan Postma to beat.

Welsh's move was rushed through yesterday for a £15,000 fee, which could rise to £35,000 depending on appearances.

He signed an 18-month deal after impressing Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy in a three-day trial last week.

Welsh, who who has represented Scotland at under 19 level, appeared 68 times for Stockport, scoring three times in his three seasons at the club. He also had a spell on loan for Macclesfield last term, playing six times and netting twice.

McCarthy said: "Andy is a player we've been watching for a while. He's a left-footed winger with pace, dribbling skills and he can put in a good cross.

"He's another young, hungry player wanting to prove himself at a higher level and I'm delighted he's joined us."

Welsh added: "I didn't think twice about the move. Coming to a great club like Sunderland is a fantastic opportunity for me."

Meanwhile, Matt Piper stepped up his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury in his second outing for the reserves last night.

Sunderland missed chances through Leadbitter and Thornton in the closing minutes, but were sunk by the only goal of the game from Luke Moore, who rattled in a 30-yard drive past Ben Alnwick.

* Jim Smith's future as assistant manager at Portsmouth is in doubt as the fall-out from executive director Velimir Zajec's appointment continues.

Smith refused an invitation yesterday to talk about a newspaper report claiming he would be the first to leave Pompey in a spate of exits this week.

The 64-year-old has become unsettled since chairman Milan Mandaric appointed former Panathinaikos director of football Zajec to the Fratton Park board.

Redknapp and Mandaric had a public row when Smith's future was under discussion at the end of last season. The chairman even alleged that it was Redknapp who wanted rid of the experienced former Portsmouth manager.

It is Redknapp who has been the one to react most strongly to the news of a new man coming in without his knowledge.

He managed to get Mandaric to re-label Croat-born Zajec's job title to 'executive director.'