Chris Rigg’s joy of being the FA Cup’s youngest-ever goal-scorer was taken away

Chris Rigg will have a very good story for his friends this morning when he goes to school in Hebburn.

For a few seconds on Saturday afternoon in west London, Rigg, 15, a Newcastle fan, thought he had scored the winner for Sunderland in front of a packed finish at Craven Cottage, only to dismiss it for offside. .

Had he stayed, he would have been the youngest goalscorer in FA Cup history.

Chris Rigg thought he had made FA Cup history when the 15-year-old scored against Fulham before the goal was disallowed by VAR.

Rigg has two days a week out of school to train with the Sunderland first team and will sit his GCSE exams this year. But perhaps the biggest test for him this summer is deciding where his future lies.

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has a reputation for developing young talent. He brought Harvey Elliott to Blackburn and is overseeing an exciting project at Sunderland.

But Newcastle’s neighbors know all about Rigg and this may be too good an opportunity for the young man to resist.

The moment Chris Rigg almost became the youngest goalscorer in FA Cup history on Saturday against Fulham

The teenager shows his disappointment at the goal disallowed for offside by VAR

This was an inspired all-around performance from Sunderland, denied victory only by Tom Cairney’s fine equalizer on the hour.

When the final whistle was blown, 10 of the 11 visitors’ players on the pitch were 23 or younger. After an absorbing Cup tie, which sets up a replay on February 7, Mowbray was asked if his young team knew Sunderland won the FA Cup 50 years ago.

‘Modern players don’t know anything. If it’s not the Premier League years, they don’t know it,” he joked.

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has assembled a young team of players at the club.

“I tell you about my goal at Wembley in 2000 (when Ipswich won promotion to the Premier League) in my last game but none were born then. I keep telling them to go on YouTube, watch the play-off final and Mowbray’s brilliant header with the back stick.

What they lack in experience, this vibrant Sunderland side makes up for in energy and spirit. They are one point away from the play-off places in the Championship with the youngest team in the league and they gave Fulham quite a scare.

Despite an early injury to Ross Stewart, the creativity of Amad Diallo, Patrick Roberts and goalscorer Jack Clarke constantly challenged the Fulham defence. Sunderland threatened every time they ventured forward.

The young stars of the Black Cats were not eliminated when playing against the Premier League in the cup.

Chris Rigg almost joins this list of record-breaking youngsters to have scored in the FA Cup

While Marco Silva turned to Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic on the bench, Mowbray had attacking options like Rigg, Tom Watson, 16, and Jewison Bennette, 18.

“It’s a new generation,” said the Sunderland manager. “The indication I give them is to be brave and it fits with the club’s motto.

They want the manager to play a bold style of football: not be afraid, play 5-4-1 and stay out of the game. We are going to face them and we did for long periods.

“I am very conscious of trying to dampen expectations for this team – they are a team of boys learning to play in a man’s world.”

But if things continue in the direction they’re headed, those expectations will only grow. The future looks bright for Sunderland.