Watford 2 Sunderland 2

Here is a manager who trusts his players and embraces their youth and desire. Mowbray’s faith was rewarded with Jewison Bennette’s 87th-minute equaliser, but it could so easily have been Leon Dajaku before him but for a shot dragged wide, or Amad Diallo setting up a Jack Clarke finish that was disallowed for offside.

Add in Abdoullah Ba, who came on for his debut, and the industrious Jay Matete, and the Sunderland substitutes totalled a combined age of 99 and the sum of eight prior Championship cameo appearances amounting to 161 minutes.

The United Nations of Wearside now has new representatives from Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Germany, France and Fleetwood. The future, to say the least, is cosmopolitan.

Of course, it was Mowbray’s starting line-up that kept Sunderland within reach of a Watford side which possesses Premier League experience and quality, and which pummelled the Black Cats for the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Without a recognised striker, Mowbray chose not to defend but to press his side as high up the pitch as possible when they could. And when they couldn’t, they blocked and tackled collectively until Luke O’Nien rose above Kortney Hause just past the hour and then wished he hadn’t as he only succeeded in heading into his own net to put Watford 2-1 in front.

Their first goal after 34 minutes had been similarly gifted. Watford’s own impressive teenager, Yaser Asprilla, curled a lovely pass in front of Hassane Kamara galloping down the left wing, but his low cross ought to have been dealt with better by Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson than pushed out to give Keinan Davis a simple tap-in.

The Sunderland equaliser produced a curious moment of confusion inside Vicarage Road. From distance, it seemed that Hamza Choudhury had comfortably cleared a low, opportune shot from Aji Alese off the line.

Suddenly, though, a buzz of referee John Busby’s watch did for the Hornets and had the Sunderland players swarming all over Alese in delight.

The start of the second half saw Joao Pedro take control, probing and prodding the ball into space for teammates to take pot shots at Patterson’s goal.

Asprilla struck one effort into the Sunderland keeper’s legs, while the magnificent Danny Batth threw his body in the way of a goal-bound Davis shot.

Lynden Gooch’s arm then appeared to stop a Kamara cross, although Sunderland would later have an equally justifiable handball claim in the Watford area as they pressed for an equaliser.

All of which set the stage for Mowbray’s youthful cavalry to ride off the bench. Their enthusiasm was encapsulated by Diallo when he curled in a lovely cross from the right which Clarke converted on the slide.

Diallo immediately ran over to the sea of visiting fans behind the goal, clenched his fists and even dropped to his knees in celebration. Meanwhile, none of the Sunderland fans had the heart to point out that behind him the goal had been ruled out by an offside flag.

Mowbray pointed out in a press conference full of fatherly pride and emotion that each one of the youngsters had deserved their opportunity because of what they have produced in training.

Presumably Dajaku has been finishing the sort of chance he had in the 83rd minute when he sprinted clear but dragged his shot wide.

It was left to Bennette, at 18 the youngest of the quintet, to translate training onto a match setting three minutes later when Patrick Roberts’ cross dropped to his feet. A quick swish of the Costa Rican’s right boot and Sunderland were level.

A four-day trip to the south has yielded four points from trips to Reading and Watford, leaving Mowbray’s side fifth in the table.