Williams Kokolo and Jack Diamond were on target as Sunderland made a winning start to their Premier League Cup campaign at Eppleton.

Kokolo put the Black Cats ahead against Charlton 10 minutes before the break, with the impressive Diamond adding the second shortly before the hour.

Sunderland manager Jack Ross and his coaching staff were in the stands to watch Elliott Dickman’s side win their opening Group A game, which sees them go top of the table – at least until the other sides in the group Stoke City and Peterborough United meet next Monday.

With Ross’ men in Checkatrade Trophy action tomorrow, Dickman’s U23 side did not include a single player with any senior experience.

Both teams took their time to get accustomed to the blustery conditions, and when they did it was the Latics who threatened first with Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu bringing a save out of Max Johnstone with a shot from the edge of the box.

A couple of minutes later it was Sunderland’s turn, and Lee Connelly cut inside the penalty area from the right and tried to beat Ashley Maynard-Brewer at his near post but the keeper was equal to it.

Kokolo struck on 36 minutes, chasing Jake Hackett’s throughball into the left channel and outpacing his marker before crashing his shot past Maynard-Brewer from just inside the left-hand corner of the box.

Diamond caught Ben Dempsey in possession, turned, and tried his luck from 25 yards, but the keeper saved diving to his left.

And just before the break Sarpong-Wiredu curled a shot over the bar from inside the box on the left.

Sunderland took charge in the second half, with Diamond going close with a fierce shot from just outside the box.

Diamond’s aim was better a couple of minutes later when he doubled his side’s lead on 56 minutes, thumping his shot into the left side of the net from the edge of the D after a deep cross from the right had been collected at the far post and rolled back into his path.

Dan Neil almost added a third on the hour after Kokolo’s pace had opened up the Charlton defence and cut the ball back to him just inside the area in a central position, but his low shot took a deflection which took the pace off it which allowed the keeper to save.

Charlton went up a gear as they tried to find a route back into the game, but their best chance fell to Terrique Anderson who cut across the box from left to right only to see his powerful drive brilliantly pawed away for a corner by Johnstone.

Dempsey hit a piledriver from just outside the box in the dying minutes but Johnstone turned that effort over the bar.

SUNDERLAND: Johnstone, Gamble, Storey, Young, Hunter (Taylor 77), Connelly, Connolly, Hackett (Bale 82), Kokolo, Diamond (Kiernan 80), Neil. Subs not used: Patterson, Bainbridge

BOOKED: Gamble, Storey

CHARLTON ATHLETIC: Maynard-Brewer, Barton, Cummings, Blumberg, Zemura, Anderson (French 82), Carey (Mascoll 65), Dempsey, Doughty (Vennings 65), Sarpong-Wiredu, Ocran. Subs not used: Osaghe, Isiaka

BOOKED: Anderson

REFEREE: Andrew Miller (Durham)

ATTENDANCE: 145