LEE JOHNSON admits Sunderland’s Papa John’s Trophy defeat at the hands of Oldham Athletic highlights the limitations of the crop of youngsters currently filling the club’s Under-23 ranks.

The Black Cats’ Trophy defence came to an end as Harry Vaughan’s second-half strike ensured they lost 1-0 to a team currently sitting in 91st position in the Football League.

With his squad being stretched to its limits, Johnson rested ten of the 11 players that started last weekend’s win at Cambridge in order to guard against the risk of suffering further injuries.

As a result, Sunderland’s side featured a host of inexperienced youngsters, and while Johnson was satisfied with their effort, he admitted their failure to match their opponents hinted at a lack of quality that could have serious repercussions if more of his senior players are sidelined.

“That performance today tells us a story,” said the Sunderland boss. To be fair, it wasn’t a lack of effort, it was just a lack of quality in terms of us needing more and needing to develop more.

“It’s a challenge for us. Some of those boys have been released at 18 years old by other football clubs, and they they’ve come into Sunderland’s academy. What we really want to be able to do is get a wave of Under-15s and Under-16s that are really ours now, and we can really try to fast-track those guys through and really put our stamp on those lads.

“I’m not going to be too critical of the boys. They were honest and gave everything – the reality is that we weren’t good enough against a side that’s second bottom in the Football League. I think that really is the gap between Under-23 football and the bottom of the Football League.”

Sunderland went into last night’s game as the reigning Papa John’s Trophy champions, having triumphed in last season’s final against Tranmere Rovers at Wembley.

Their spell as trophy holders came to an end with a second-string line-up, but with a crucial home game against Oxford looming at the weekend, and another league match against Morecambe coming next Tuesday, Johnson defended his decision to make wholesale changes.

“We wanted to win the game, but not at the cost of putting more senior players at risk,” he said. “It was as simple as that. We could use it with three or four of them to maintain match fitness, as you saw with (Elliot) Embleton, (Leon) Dajaku and (Aiden) O’Brien.

“I think there’s been some wasted opportunities. When we send a Sunderland side out, we want to send it out with personality – that doesn’t matter whether it’s Under-12s, Under-23s or first team. Not enough of that was on show.

“We made subs because we had to and probably got weaker. But what we must do is give ourselves the best opportunity to get in that top two this season. I honestly felt it wouldn’t have been conducive to doing that by playing senior players I’m going to pick on Saturday in this game.”