CORRY EVANS and Bradley Dack stepped up their respective returns from injury by lining up for Sunderland Under-21s in their derby encounter with Newcastle United this afternoon.

However, the experienced duo were unable to prevent Newcastle’s second string from claiming a 3-2 victory in the Premier League 2 clash at the Academy of Light thanks to a double from Kyle Crossley and a header from Cathal Heffernan.

Evans, who has missed the whole of this season after undergoing cruciate ligament surgery in the spring, completed the first half of the game and scored Sunderland’s opening goal with an excellent long-range strike.

Dack, who has been sidelined since Boxing Day because of hamstring issues, played for 55 minutes as part of an experienced Black Cats line-up that also featured Pierre Ekwah, Timothee Pembele and Mason Burstow.

Newcastle’s second-string side was much more inexperienced than the team it was lining up against, but with Lewis Miley’s younger brother, Jamie, playing at the heart of midfield, it was the visitors who triumphed on Wearside.

Newcastle opened the scoring after just seven minutes when a mix-up in the Sunderland defence enabled Crossley to steal possession and slot home from close range.

Sunderland’s equaliser came five minutes before the interval, and saw Evans fire home from 25 yards to ensure his 45-minute run-out ended on a high note.

Caden Kelly fired against the crossbar for the Black Cats shortly before half-time, with Pembele also having an effort ruled out for offside, but it was Newcastle who claimed the lead in first-half stoppage time. Miley swung over a corner from the left, and Heffernan thumped home a close-range header.

The Magpies extended their advantage midway through the second half, with Wearsider Crossley claiming his second goal of the game as he fired a low finish past Nathan Bishop after Amadou Diallo slid a cross into the middle.

Sunderland struck back in stoppage time as Oli Bainbridge crossed to the back post, enabling Joe Ryder to tap home his third goal in the last five reserve games from close range.

Sunderland’s Under-21 side return to action on Friday evening when they host Leicester City at Eppleton CW, with Newcastle’s Under-21s also in action on the same night when they head to Bishop Auckland’s Heritage Park to take on Middlesbrough.