THERE were plenty of positives for Lee Clark to ponder following Bury’s defeat at home to Championship outfit Sunderland in Friday’s opening friendly of the pre-season programme.

The Shakers fielded 23 players on an evening that was overshadowed by the death of young Sunderland supporter Bradley Lowery.

Bradley sadly lost his long-suffering fight against neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer – just hours before kick-off.

The 2,110 fans inside Gigg Lane paid their respects in a minute’s applause before the game, and were then treated to five goals and 15 Bury debuts.

Clark changed his entire team at half time, showcasing the squad’s strength in depth in every position.

Strikers James Vaughan and Jermaine Beckford started their first match together and showed glimpses of what a dangerous pairing they could be in League One.

But it was the central midfield partnership of Andrew Tutte and Callum Reilly that made the biggest impact, with both players getting on the scoresheet as the Shakers raced into a 2-0 lead.

Sunderland pulled a goal back before the break through Jack Rodwell’s strike – and a second-half brace from Josh Maja handed the visitors the win.

“There were lots of good things, lots of positives,” Clark said.

“There were some things that need ironing out of course.

“We have only had a short spell together on the training pitch, we were against decent opposition and taking into consideration the amount of changes from both teams, it already comes a little bit loose in the second half.

“I was delighted with a lot of things, though.

“There were some really good performances and some really good situations.

“I thought our second goal was a terrific goal from the team.”

Clark handed 17-year-old youth midfielder Tsun Dai his first senior start in the first half and he looked very accomplished on the ball, playing a part in the second goal.

Centre-back Saul Shotton, aged 16, started the second period alongside summer signing Adam Thompson and showed signs of promise, especially when facing £9million Sunderland man Wahbi Khazri.

The two youth-team graduates have been integrated into the first-team squad over the past week and their performances against the Black Cats have given Clark food for thought.

“Tsun Dai and Saul Shotton were both terrific,” Clark added. “It bodes well for the future.

“When I speak about not having as big a squad as last year it’s because I want to create a pathway for these young players to get into the team.

“Are they going to play 46 games in a team which will hopefully challenge for promotion? Probably not.

“But they have certainly showed me tonight that if called upon they will not let us down.”