Sunderland youngster Chris Rigg made a memorable first impression on his debut for the club.
The 15-year-old, a target for Manchester United and Newcastle, became the club's second-youngest ever player, coming on for Edouard Michut in the 81st minute.
As he came on against Shrewsbury Town, the central midfielder put in an assured display.
Boss Tony Mowbray told ChronicleLive: “He is still at school, so he gets day release to train with us once or twice a week.
“On those releases now, in my opinion, he will be training with us rather than with the under-21s or under-18s. It's much faster than playing under-18s football, and the senior players don't generally show too much respect to young kids because those kids are potentially going to take their places.
“That makes it quite competitive in training. It's sink or swim, and I'm pretty sure this kid is going to swim."