RELEGATION results in a host of negative consequences, but it doesn’t always mean bad news for everyone. Sunderland’s demotion to the second tier heralded the departure of more than a dozen senior players and meant new boss Simon Grayson was forced to turn to some less well-known names to replace them. One of those in particular is making the most of his chance to impress.

George Honeyman went into the current campaign with three senior starts to his name, and had Sunderland remained in the Premier League, he might well have found himself loaned out to a club in the lower leagues.

Instead, he has been an ever-present in the Black Cats’ first team, carving out a position on the right-hand side of midfield and claiming goals against Bury and Sheffield Wednesday.

Some might regard the Championship as beneath Sunderland’s station given their ten previous seasons in the top-flight, but Honeyman is simply delighted to have an opportunity to prove himself, albeit in the second tier.

And after the triumph of Jordan Pickford’s development ahead of a £30m move to Everton, the 22-year-old’s emergence is another feather in the cap of Sunderland’s academy, which had been criticised for its lack of success in recent years.

“It’s been exciting,” said Honeyman, who was born and raised in Prudhoe, and joined Sunderland’s academy at the age of ten. “It’s an exciting league to play in, and hopefully it’s exciting to watch for the fans too.

“It’s been great to be involved like I have been, but I’ve always been confident in myself that I could do this, so it’s nice to show people what I can do and hopefully keep it up.”

Grayson watched a fair bit of Sunderland’s Under-23s last season while scouting for his former club, Preston, and Honeyman was one of the players that consistently caught his eye.

He was looking forward to working with the midfielder on the training ground, and has been impressed with everything he has seen from the North-Easterner in the last couple of months.

“I’d seen him play for the Under-23s quite a bit, but it’s a step up from the Under-23s into first-team football,” said the Sunderland boss. “I knew he’d played a few first-team games last season, but it was what he did over the first few weeks of pre-season that really showed what he’s capable of doing. That’s why I played him and trusted him in the first game of the season.

“It can rub off on other players when you see players running around, working hard and playing that style of football. Other players can feel the infectiousness of what he’s transmitting to them.

“Hopefully, that continues because he’s a good kid, willing to learn. He knows he’s got a lot of work still to be done, but he fits into that category of players who are adaptable.”

Honeyman could not have wished for a tougher baptism to life in the Championship, with Sunderland having taken on Derby, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday in their opening three league games.

Things are unlikely to get much easier this afternoon when Leeds United visit the Stadium of Light, and if the Black Cats can emerge from today’s encounter with their unbeaten record intact, they will have enjoyed a hugely successful start to the campaign.

Their performance at Carrow Road was a particular highlight, and they were almost as good for the opening hour of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Hillsborough before a late rally from Sheffield Wednesday forced them to hold on in the closing stages.

“We’ve been on a tough run, with three away games (including the Carabao Cup game at Bury) in six days, and it hasn’t been easy,” said Honeyman. “Speaking to some of the boys that have played in this league, mainly the new signings, even by their standards they’ve said this has been a tough start in terms of the schedule and the away games.

“I think the feeling is that if we can get through this and keep the unbeaten run up, then there isn’t really much that can stop us. This might be as hard as it gets.”

Honeyman has lined up on the right-hand side for Sunderland’s opening three league games, with Aiden McGeady on the opposite flank.

The pair combined for the Black Cats’ goal against Sheffield Wednesday, with Honeyman controlling McGeady’s cross before drilling home a low finish.

The Republic of Ireland international has been a revelation since completing a £250,000 move from Everton, and Honeyman should be able to learn plenty from working with his fellow winger.

“His deliveries have been really good,” said the youngster. “Robbie Stockdale likes to call them ‘buffet balls’ because you just go and help yourself. He really is a quality man to have over the ball.”