Sunderland kick started their Alicante pre-season tour with a decent display and a share of the spoils against Premier League opposition Nottingham Forest.

Jack Clarke gave the Black Cats the lead from the penalty spot midway through the first half in a solid opening 45 minutes.

Forest equalised through Omar Richards quickly after the restart, but it was a good first outing in Spain.

READ MORE: Day one of Sunderland's pre-season tour diary in Alicante

Here are some of the key talking points from Pinatar Arena:

Regis Le Bris’ strongest side?

We may just be three games into pre-season, but Regis Le Bris named a strong side to face Nottingham Forest – arguably the strongest he could given injuries and fitness concerns. Alan Browne was not part of the squad to face Nottingham Forest having told We Are Sunderland he was still a little way off the main squad in terms of his fitness, but did take part in the warm-up prior to the game. Jay Matete and Luis Hemir also missed out.

If the side that started the game is what Le Bris views as the strongest side he could put out tonight, it’s quite the show of faith in Chris Rigg in a central midfield area, and in Eliezer Mayenda who lead the line once again – more on him later. For Rigg, it’s clear his future lies in the heart of midfield.

Very few would have predicted that move would come so quickly after signing his first professional deal, with Mike Dodds opting to play him on the right-flank at the end of last season. The former interim head coach suggested he’d acclimatise to life better with more time and space, but all signs are pointing towards a central midfield berth. Hopefully he makes a role in the midfield engine room his own when the competitive action starts.

SAFC XI first-half: Patterson, Hume, O’Nien, Alese, Cirkin, Neil, Rigg, Jobe, Clarke, Mayenda, Roberts.

Sunderland’s press and the out of possession exercise

As you would expect coming up against Premier League opposition, tonight’s game was about Sunderland’s shape out of possession just as much as work with the ball. As they did in their two previous warm-up games, they operated in a 4-3-3 with the ball and a 4-4-2 out of possession - Jobe Bellingham and Mayenda the front two tasked with triggering the press.

There was a much more concerted effort from the Black Cats to press when the time was right, as a unit, rather than the mismatch of ideas we saw at the back end of last season. Sunderland allowed Forest to have the ball up to the halfway line and got to grips with them after the opening 15 minutes or so.

Growing into the game from thereon out, they forced Forest into mistakes and won the ball back in dangerous areas - Mayenda’s press for Sunderland’s opener indicative of what Le Bris wants from his side. The Black Cats were compact and left very little space for Forest’s attackers in between the lines.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side changed their entire XI at the break, while Sunderland kept the same XI on the pitch. The changes swung the balance of the tie in Forest’s favour for a period in the second half, but it was a good exercise for the Wearsiders, getting more vital minutes into the legs.

Eliezer Mayenda the answer?

While Sunderland are continuing to be linked with strikers in the transfer market – Caen’s Alexandre Mendy the latest, although the club have played down talk of a deal being close, there’s one in the building quietly impressing in Mayenda. You’d be forgiven for double checking that, but it’s the Spaniard who is emerging as Le Bris’ chosen striker having also impressed against South Shields with a goal and an assist.

In similar fashion to Rigg’s goal at the 1st Cloud Arena, it was Mayenda who put the Forest back line under pressure and forcing a mistake, and it was Rigg that pounced on the loose ball. The Black Cats youngster dancer into the box and drew the foul from Murillo – Clarke coolly converting from the spot.

Although still raw, and one or two of his touches were wayward, Mayenda was far more involved than any striker we saw last season. The two 8’s in midfield weren’t afraid to fizz the ball into the feet of the striker, he held the ball up well and was a willing runner into space in behind and just lacked that golden touch. There's a long way to go, but there are positive signs.

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The travelling red and white army

A word for the travelling red and white army at Pinatar Arena. Loud, proud and they made the most of football in the sun. We don’t get much of it back in Sunderland, so it’s a welcome change.

Sunderland supporters outnumbered Nottingham Forest and were happy to give former Newcastle United midfielder Elliot Anderson some generous stick throughout the second half. All in good fun.