PRIOR to Tuesday night, Jason Denayer’s last senior appearance saw him play for Belgium in the quarter-finals of the European Championships.

It’s safe to say the opening group game of the Checkatrade Trophy at Rochdale would have felt like a slightly different experience.

Denayer made his Sunderland debut as Robbie Stockdale’s academy side lost 4-2 on penalties, having moved to Wearside in a deadline-day loan move from Manchester City. He was joined by fellow first-teamer Jan Kirchhoff, who played for 90 stress-free minutes as he stepped up his recovery from injury.

The rest of Sunderland’s team was comprised of academy players, and while the debate about the merits of the revamped Football League Trophy continues to rage, they will have gained plenty from the experience.

Durham teenager Elliot Embleton scored the biggest goal of his career with an excellent second-half strike, and while Ian Henderson’s equaliser set up a penalty shoot-out that saw George Honeyman and Tommy Robson both miss spot-kicks, Sunderland’s youngsters left Spotland with their heads held high.

The fact that Rochdale receive a bonus point for their shoot-out win, however, will provide further ammunition for those wishing to belittle what used to be known as the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. It could be argued that Checkatrade are the ideal sponsors for the remodelled competition - a couple of weeks in, and plenty of people already feel it needs extensive rebuilding.

The inclusion of academy teams from the Premier League and Championship has proved hugely controversial, with clubs in the lower leagues dismissive of the value of matches such as last night’s, and fearful that the format will open the door to ‘B’ teams eventually being admitted into the Football League system.

Supporters seemed to be voting with their feet in the opening week of matches, with teams playing in front of largely empty stadiums, and last night’s attendance of 1,184 was half the size of the gate for Rochdale’s last home league game against AFC Wimbledon. With the game being played at a fairly sedate pace throughout, it felt like a pre-season friendly. And not a particularly good one at that.

The counter-argument is that young English players can only benefit from an increased exposure to competitive fixtures rather than being closeted away in a development league that counts for little, and it was eloquently espoused by Sunderland’s first-team coach, Robbie Stockdale, in the build up to last night’s game.

“What is missing from the games programme for our older-aged academy players is that competitive game – a game that actually means something,” said Stockdale. “The added extra is the senior players dropping down, it pushes them as well. If a senior player drops down to a normal development squad game, they might be playing 18-year-olds, so this ticks the boxes for us.”

So what boxes will have been ticked last night, with David Moyes sitting alongside Paul Bracewell in the front row of the directors’ box?

Kirchhoff successfully came through his first outing since damaging his hamstring in Sunderland’s penultimate pre-season game against Montpellier, and must now have a good chance of starting Monday’s Premier League game with Everton.

The German barely made it out of first gear, yet was still comfortably the best player on the pitch. His reading of the game is exemplary, and he will provide some welcome poise and assurance at the heart of midfield if, as now seems likely, he is selected in five days’ time.

Denayer was not quite as comfortable at the heart of Sunderland’s back four, and while the Manchester City loanee did well to block Peter Vincenti’s tenth-minute shot, he showed signs of understandable rustiness as he made his first appearance of the season. He clearly boasts plenty of pace, but there were a couple of occasions when his positioning let him down.

Aside from the two more experienced players, Sunderland’s youngsters acquitted themselves reasonably well against more physically powerful opposition.

Max Stryjek was assured in goal, claiming a succession of crosses in his own six-yard box and making a decent first-half save as he parried Callum Camps’ long-range free-kick.

Sunderland’s best first-half opportunity saw Josh Lillis tip Honeyman’s 20-yard shot over, but there was a scare at the start of the second half as centre-half Michael Ledger sliced the ball against his own crossbar as he attempted to deal with Joe Rafferty’s low cross.

Three minutes later and the Black Cats were ahead, with Embleton playing a slick one-two with Joshua Maja before opening up his body to curl home an excellent finish from 20 yards.

Their lead lasted just seven minutes though, with Rochdale equalising when Henderson flicked home Jamie Allen’s free-kick from the edge of the six-yard box.

Henderson curled against the outside of the post with seven minutes left, but while Kirchhoff and Rees Greenwood both scored from the spot for Sunderland, Stryjek was only able to save one of Rochdale’s penalties.

Rochdale (4-5-1): Lillis; Rafferty, McGahey, Canavan, Tanser; Vincenti (Davies 65), Lund (Mendez-Laing 65), Camps, Allen, Henderson (Odelusi 82); Bunney.

Subs (not used): Logan (gk), McNulty, McDermott, Keane.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Stryjek; J Robson, Denayer, Ledger, T Robson; Embleton (Molyneux 83), Kirchhoff, E Robson, Greenwood; Maja (Nelson 72), Honeyman.

Subs (not used): Beadling (gk), Pain, Brady, Casey, Wright.