JACK ROSS insists he will not be signing a striker simply for the sake of it despite his Sunderland side’s lack of firepower being exposed in last night’s Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

The Black Cats crashed out of the League Cup at the first hurdle as goals from Marco Matias and Adam Reach condemned them to a 2-0 loss at the Stadium of Light.

The first competitive defeat of Ross’ reign came towards the end of a week that has seen Sunderland officials fail with a number of approaches to prospective loan signings.

There is still a chance one of the deals could be resurrected before the Football League loan window closes at the end of the month, but despite having to field attacking midfielder Chris Maguire as a lone centre-forward last night, Ross will not be forced into a panic acquisition.

“There’s nothing close at the moment,” said the Sunderland boss. “We were waiting on an answer for one that won’t happen imminently, but might happen later in the month.

“We probably could have done one or two names for the sake of it, but I’m loath to do that. It might just appease people externally if we’ve got another striker into the squad, but if it’s not going to add quality to what we’re trying to do at the club, then I think we’re better trying to find ways to make the best of what we have just now.

“Performance wise tonight, I thought those players did that very well, and the ones that are injured at the moment are getting ever closer. A lot of them are ahead of schedule which is encouraging, and their desire to get back has been good.”

Ross handed a first senior start to Denver Hume and Elliot Embleton as he rested some of his more senior players ahead of Sunday’s League One game with Scunthorpe United, and was delighted with the way in which the youthful duo rose to the occasion.

“There’s good and bad you can take from every game, but being on the pitch in a competitive first-team game is a great starting point for those young players,” he said. “Elliot and Denver did that tonight. Bali (Mumba) has also been heavily involved in the games, and I’ve been delighted with all of them.

“Denver did really well considering we asked him to play on his wrong side. That’s a really big ask, so I thought he was terrific, and Elliot’s contribution was great as well. That’s testament to the work that’s been done at the club.

“We need to ensure that pathway is there. Our academy has a reputation for being a terrific academy, but players have to believe there’s a reason for it. They can’t get to a certain point and then feel as if they’re being moved on because that path is blocked.”

Sunderland’s best chance saw Embleton tee up Luke O’Nien for a shot that was blocked by Joost van Aken, and while his side failed to carve out too many clear-cut openings, Ross was happy with the majority of their play.

“We’re disappointed to lose the game because we’re trying to create a culture and mind-set here where we don’t fall back into an acceptance of losing matches,” he said. “Particularly at this stadium. But beyond that, there are large parts of that game we should be pleased with.

“Particularly in the first half, I thought we were by far the better team, and that’s encouraging when we’re having to fit square pegs into round holes a little bit at the moment.”