HE has spent most of the season praising the impact of Sunderland’s youngsters, but Tony Mowbray was quick to hail his side’s experienced defensive core after they excelled in this evening’s goalless draw with Burnley.

The Black Cats became the first side to prevent the Championship leaders from scoring at Turf Moor this season as they claimed a deserved point.

Danny Batth and Luke O’Nien were superb at the heart of Sunderland’s back four, ensuring that the injured Dan Ballard was not missed, while Lynden Gooch returned to the starting line-up and delivered an excellent performance at left-back, with a series of sliding blocks resulting in the scoresheet remaining blank.

Mowbray said: “Lynden is a warrior. He and Luke are the grit and determination of this team, that every team who is ever going to succeed needs.

“You need players who put their head in, block shots. I've talked about soldiers and artists, and they are very much our soldiers.

“Danny Batth, you've got to mention too. He’s been a rock and amazing for this football club.

“I thought the balance was alright tonight, it's great that some of the young lads got game time in that environment and it's good for the experience of the team.

“I genuinely feel that if we get recruitment right in the summer, we can be a force in this league and give them problems.”

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Mowbray promised that Sunderland would attempt to take the game to Burnley, and while the Clarets might have had their chances, with Anthony Patterson making a couple of decent saves, the visitors came closest to scoring when Amad Diallo’s deflected second-half strike looped against the crossbar.

Mowbray said: “When you come here, you know you're playing against the best in the league - I don't think they've lost here this season.

“I said to the boys before the game that we had to go and challenge ourselves, compete and enjoy the night. We tried to play on the front foot and yet they do build from the back and they wait for you to get the press wrong, they play it past you and they're away.

“I think we generally got it right tonight and a little more aggression and intensity, we might have nicked it a bit more. Against a team like this it's got to be nick it, one pass and you're in. We didn't do that quite enough but it's a great experience for these young players.

“There's plenty of positives for us, we've come here and left disappointed we haven't taken our chances. We were good out of possession, it was just that final pass, that last little bit that we're just lacking without Ross Stewart to punish teams.

“We'll hopefully resolve that in the transfer window, get Ross fit and fill the team with goalscorers. But it's a really focused group, they are brilliant listeners who want to be better footballers.”