CHRIS RIGG celebrated his new Sunderland contract in style as his clinical late finish enabled the Black Cats to claim a dramatic 4-3 win over South Shields in their opening pre-season friendly.

Jack Clarke scored twice for Tony Mowbray’s side during an action-packed encounter at the 1st Cloud Arena, and also hit the crossbar on two separate occasions in the first half.

Hemir marked his first appearance in a Black Cats shirt following his summer move from Benfica with a second-half goal of his own, with Rigg eventually settling things as he stroked home a first-time finish following a square ball from his fellow substitute, Michael Spellman.

Sunderland twice fell behind to goals from South Shields striker Paul Blackett, and Dillon Morse also scored for the hosts, who are preparing for life in National League North following their promotion from the Northern Premier League last season.

Mowbray will be pleased with his side’s opening pre-season workout though, with a different Sunderland line-up to set to take on Gateshead later this afternoon.

With Mowbray splitting his side between the lunchtime game at South Shields and the afternoon kick-off at the International Stadium, the most notable aspect of the line-up at the 1st Cloud Arena was the presence of summer signing Hemir in the Sunderland attack.

Signed from Benfica, where he spent last season playing in the Portuguese side’s B team, Hemir looks strong and powerful, with his physique immediately making him stand out. The Black Cats lacked physicality in attack on a number of occasions last season – the addition of Hemir at least gives Mowbray a different option when it comes to leading the line.

Clarke was also in Sunderland’s starting side despite Burnley’s ongoing attempts to sign him this summer, and the winger was the Black Cats’ standout performer throughout, hitting the woodwork twice in the first half.

The first of the two efforts came midway through the opening period, and saw Clarke dribble infield purposefully from the left-hand side, bursting past three defenders before curling in a strike that clipped the top of the crossbar.

His second effort against the woodwork came four minutes before the interval, and was a much more fiercely-driven shot that flew past Shields goalkeeper Myles Boney before crashing against the bar again.

In between those two efforts, Sunderland fell behind, with a defensive mix-up enabling Shields to claim the lead. Luke O’Nien should have dealt with a routine ball forward down the home side’s left flank, but instead of clearing the ball away, he squared it across his own box.

Jay Matete, back in the fold after his loan spell at Plymouth last season, attempted to scramble back to deal with the danger, but Mariners forward Blackett got to the ball ahead of him and stabbed home.

Having been relatively subdued before the break, Sunderland’s players stepped up a gear at the start of the second half and were level within five minutes of the restart.

Isaac Lihadji displayed smart footwork as he created space in the area and stood up a cross to the back post, and having got between two South Shields defenders, Hemir leapt to plant a powerful header past the goalkeeper’s right hand.

Eight minutes later, however, and Sunderland were falling behind for a second time as more defensive lapses proved costly.

Pierre Ekwah misjudged the bounce of the ball inside his own half, enabling Shields’ midfielders to sweep forward, and after Joao Gomes Carrington teed up Blackett, the striker turned neatly inside O’Nien before stroking home his second goal of the game.

The second-half action was much more free-flowing than had been the case before the break, and Sunderland levelled for a second time shortly after the hour mark.

It was a well-worked goal, with Lynden Gooch sliding over a low cross from the right-hand side and an unmarked Clarke tapping home at the back post.

The goal proved the cue for Mowbray to make six substitutions, which included the introduction of Rigg, who signed a new deal with the Black Cats earlier this month despite strong interest from both Newcastle and Manchester United.

One of the replacements, Trei Ogunsuyi almost made an instant impact as he hammered a shot against the bar, but Sunderland did not have to wait long before they claimed the lead for the first time all afternoon.

Abdoullah Ba did well to square the ball across the face of the area, and Clarke displayed impeccable technique as he stoked home his second goal of the game.

More changes followed, but Sunderland were unable to hold on to their lead as South Shields levelled to make it 3-3 with quarter-of-an-hour left.

The Black Cats’ substitute goalkeeper, Adam Richardson, did well to claw away a close-range shot from Dylan Mottley-Henry, but Morse reacted quickest to stab home the rebound.

That looked like being that, but Rigg struck with three minutes left to fire Sunderland to victory. Spellman delivered the ball in from the left, and Rigg drilled home an excellent first-time finish from the edge of the 18-yard box.


South Shields (4-3-3): Boney (Trialist 46); Lufudu (Marriott 64), Liddle (Jenkins 64), Broadbent (Morse 60), Adams; Mongoy (McGowern 46), Smith (Briggs 46), Heaney; Carrington (McGeorge 64), Blackett (Mottley-Henry 64), James (Hodgson 46).

Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Patterson (Richardson 63); Gooch (Burke 69), Crompton (Lavery 63), O’Nien (Beattie 69), Taylor (Pye 63); Matete (Kindon 69), Ekwah (Rigg 63); Lihadji (Ogunsuyi 63), Ba (Mitchell 69), Clarke (Tutierov 69); Hemir (Spellman 63).