Honours were shared in Spennymoor Town’s first home friendly of pre-season as League One Sunderland came to Town.

Sunderland took the lead through an Aidan O’Brien tap-in in the first half after a goalkeeping error.

Spennymoor turned the game on its head in the space of five second half minutes, when Joe Tait’s bullet header from a free-kick levelled the score.

Jason Kennedy then prodded home after Glen Taylor’s header was cleared off the line to put Moors in front, before Ellis Taylor fired a strike into the roof of the net to level late on.

Sunderland changed their entire 11 at half time, bringing on their Under 23 squad to play the second period.

The game started at a fast pace, which was not really punctuated until a lengthy stoppage for treatment to the impressive Adriano Moke.  He was on the wrong end of a crunching challenge from Elliott Embleton and had to be stretchered from the pitch on 18 minutes.

Sunderland took the lead mid-way through the first half when the triallist goalkeeper dropped a routine cross at the feet of O’Brien.  He couldn’t miss from two yards.

An important challenge from James Curtis prevented Will Grigg shooting from inside the box, before Ross Steward headed a Grigg cross over the bar.

Sunderland brought their youngsters on at half time and they immediately struggled to contain Moors.

Joe Tait slammed home a header from an excellent free kick delivery, before a whipped Thompson corner was headed goalwards by Glen Taylor.  It was blocked on the line, but Sunderland could not prevent Jason Kennedy from tapping in to put Moors in front.

Ellis Taylor found space inside the Moors box for only a fraction of a second, but that was enough for him to unleash a piledriver into the roof of the net, leaving the triallist ‘keeper no chance.

At the death, Glen Taylor could have won it for Moors.

Rob Ramshaw flicked a ball in behind the Sunderland back line, putting Taylor clean through, but he dragged the finish wide of the left post under heavy pressure from the Black Cats’ scrambling defence.

In the end, 2-2 was a fair result at the end of a very useful run-out for both sides.