10 Things We Learned From Darlington Vs. Sunderland

10. It's All Very Much About Fitness

Pre-season isn't about the results, it's about sharpening up and putting their training ground drills into real situations. While the 4-2 victory looks nice on paper, Sunderland could've lost the game and still reaped the benefits of 90 minutes in front of a crowd. Youngster Tom Beadling was one of the group who was given the full game to prove his fitness, with Giaccherini, Graham, Lee Cattermole and Adam Johnson also featuring throughout the whole game. Of course, Sunderland losing their next five games would dent morale among players and fans, but the most important result of pre-season is that everyone comes out fit and raring to go in August.