Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Sunderland's double-header of friendlies to kick off their pre-season.
Sunderland first travel to South Shields to take on the Mariners at 12:30pm before a dash to Gateshead to take on the Heed Army at 4pm, as Tony Mowbray looks to get a good luck at his whole squad, as well as a number of talented youngsters within the under-21 and under-18 ranks.
The Black Cats will split their squad over the two matches as they get their pre-season campaign under way before the much anticipated tour of the United States of America.
Stick with us throughout the day as we will bring you all of the live build-up, updates, analysis and reaction from both matches right here.
Key Events
FT ratings from the International Stadium
Here's how the Sunderland players rated in the 3-2 win at Gateshead
FT. Gateshead 2-3 Sunderland
And that's that.
Sunderland turned things around after making a horror start and falling 2-0 down midway through the half, with Pani and Campbell scoring Gateshead's goals.
Neil pulled one back before half time, and then Huggins levelled just after the hour before sub Spellman scored the winner ten minutes from time.
That's two friendlies ticked off in a day, and two wins
81mins Gateshead 2-3 Sunderland. GGGGGOOOOOAAALLLL!!!!
Sunderland have turned it around.
Wilson's shot inside the box is blocked but it falls invitingly for Spellman, and he finishes from close range
78mins Subs for Sunderland
ON: Bell, Tutierov, Chiabi, Whittaker
OFF: Neil, Johnson, Bellingham, Pritchard
73mins Subs for Sunderland
ON: Bainbridge, Robertson, Spellman
OFF: Huggins, Roberts, Anderson
70mins Subs for Gateshead
ON: Magnay, Thompson, Trialist, Hasani
OFF: Richardson, Francis, Booty, Wearne
64mins Gateshead 2-2 Sunderland. GGGGOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!
Sunderland are level
Within seconds of coming on, Wilson provides the assist and Huggins lashes his finish past Mair from 10 yards out
63mins Subs for Sunderland
ON: Richardson, Fieldson, Wilson, Thompson
OFF: Bass, Hume, Ballard, Bennette
HT subs for Gateshead
ON: Mair, Whelan, Storey, Allan, Dinanga, Trialist
OFF: Trialist, Tinkler, Trialist, Hunter, Pani
HT. Gateshead 2-1 Sunderland
And that's half-time, with Sunderland trailing at the break for the second time today.
Pani and Campbell scored midway through the half to put Heed in control, but Neil pulled a goal back before the break.
Sunderland have not looked great defensively, but they've done better going forward
39mins Gateshead 2-1 Sunderland. GGGGOOOAAALLL!!!
Roberts and Pritchard work the ball down the left, Pritchard picks out Neil with a pass and he rifles a low shot past former Sunderland academy keeper Harrison Bond, who is on trial with Gateshead
23mins Gateshead 2-0 Sunderland. Goal!
It gets worse!
Roberts gives the ball away with a slack pass, Campbell gets hold of it and bends a 25-yard shot round Bass and into the bottom right-hand corner
20mins Gateshead 1-0 Sunderland. Goal!
Sunderland are behind.
Pani picks the ball up 25 yards from goal, his shot takes a nick off a defender and loops over the backpedalling Bass into the top right-hand corner. There was nothing the keeper could do about that
And here's the Gateshead XI...
Here's how Gateshead line up
Our XI for today's return to home turf! #WorClub pic.twitter.com/qJgsU30bu2
— Gateshead FC (@GatesheadFC) July 8, 2023
And now to Gateshead...
Sunderland: Bass, Hume, Johnson, Ballard, Anderson, Huggins, Neil, Jobe, Roberts, Pritchard, Bennette
Subs: Richardson, Wilson, Bainbridge, Burke, Whittaker, Bell, Spellman, Fieldson, Jones, Chiabi, Thompson, Robertson, Tutierov, Sakete
Player ratings after South Shields win
Teenager Chris Rigg scored in the final minute to give Sunderland victory against South Shields in their first pre-season friendly. A routine first half gave way to a glut of goals in the second, in a game that swung one way and then the other.
Paul Blackett put Julio Arca's National League North side in front midway through the first half, with Sunderland's new Portuguese striker Hemir levelling just after the interval. Blackett then restored his side's advantage, only for Jack Clarke to score twice to turn things around and put Tony Mowbray's side 3-2 ahead.
But Shields sub Dillon Morse brought his side level ten minutes from the end, only for Rigg to have the final word.
Here's how our Sunderland AFC writer James Hunter rated the players.

FT. South Shields 3-4 Sunderland
And now you can draw breath.
Goals galore in the second half.
Two for Clarke, one for Hemir, and sub Rigg scoring a last-minute winner for Sunderland.
Blackett scored twice for Shields, with Morse also on target.
A good pre-season workout for both sides.
Now it's time to hot-foot it over to Gateshead for the second game of the afternoon...
90+3mins Save!
Almost a fifth with the last kick of the match, but Burke's shot is diverted wide by the keeper
89mins South Shields 3-4 Sunderland. GGGGOOOOAAALLLL!!!!
Right at the death - have Sunderland won it?
Spellman's ball across the box finds Rigg 12 yards out and he applies the finish
80mins South Shields 3-3 Sunderland. Goal!
Mottley-Henry's strike is parried by Richardson, but Morse is there to finish
74mins Subs for Sunderland
ON: Burke, Tutierov, Kindon, Beattie, Mitchell, Richardson
OFF: Matete, Gooch, Ba, Clarke, O'Nien, Patterson
73mins South Shields 2-3 Sunderland. GGGGOOOOAAALLL!!!
Sunderland take the lead for the first time in the game.
Ba's low cross from the right side of the box is turned in by Clarke at the far post
65mins Woodwork!
Ogunsuyi gets into the box down the right but his shot hits the crossbar and bounces clear. Sunderland hit the woodwork for the third time in the match
62mins Subs for South Shields
ON: Morse, Mottley-Henry, Trialist
OFF: Broadbent, Blackett, Heaney
62mins Subs for Sunderland
ON: Rigg, Lavery, Spellman, Pye, Ogunsuyi
OFF: Hemir, Ekwah, Lihadji, Crompton, Taylor