Sunderland goalkeeper Lee Burge has spoken of his pride after making his league debut for the club in their 1-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

Burge joined the Black Cats from their League One rivals Coventry City during the summer transfer window, but Jon McLaughlin's role as the club's number one meant Burge had been restricted to appearances in the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy prior to this weekend.

That changed at Adams Park however, when manager Phil Parkinson handed Burge a start between the posts in his first game as manager of the club.

Although Darius Charles' first-half header was enough to secure all three points for Wycombe, it seems Burge was still delighted to be handed the opportunity by Parkinson, as he told The Sunderland Echo: “The manager named the team on Friday morning. It was a nice surprise and lovely to make my league debut.

“I came here to do what I've done, work really hard and push Jon, do the best I can. I wanted a new experience here and I'm loving every minute here."

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Assessing his performance against Wycombe, Burge continued: “I think I did alright, I was calm and collected and it's just nice to help the team in any way I can.”

Burge's selection meant that McLaughlin was forced to settle for a place on the bench at Adams Park, and it seems his replacement does have sympathy for the Scot, as Burge claimed: “It was a proud moment [being named in the side].

“It was really nice. It's a lot of hard work [paying off].

“It's a horrible position to be in if you're on the other side, we've been all there as goalkeepers. He wished me all the luck today and was very supportive, as I've been with him so far.

“It's a goalkeeper's union, it can be a tough place to be but you have to support each other because you both go through the same sort of times."

Discussing his approach for the rest of the season, the 26-year-old continued: “Now I've just to keep going, keep doing the same things that I've been doing.”

Following that defeat at Wycombe, Sunderland are now tenth in League One, with five wins and four draws from their opening 12 league games of the season, and are next in action when they host Tranmere Rovers at The Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.

The Verdict

Regardless of the result, you can't blame Burge for being pleased with the step he made on Saturday.

While cup competitions are always useful for game time, the prizes that are at stake through league success means it is that that matters more than anything else.

The fact therefore that Parkinson went with Burge over the more established McLaughlin, shows the faith he has in the former-Coventry man to step up when he needs him to this season.

It will be interesting to see if Parkinson continues with Burge over the next few weeks, which could be an indicator as to the course of McLaughlin's own future with Sunderland, considering his contract at The Stadium of Light is set to expire at the end of this season.