Greg Halford was pleased to come through a low-key debut at Ferencvaros on Monday evening.

The season-long loan signing for Sunderland made his first appearance for the club as a second half substitute, replacing Derek Geary at right-back in the 3-2 victory in Hungary.

"It seems like it has been a long summer and it was good to get back into the swing of things," said Halford.

"We've had a couple of weeks of pre-season and it is great to start with the games.

"At the minute it is all about fitness. I did 45 minutes and I feel fine, and I'm already looking forward to the second and third games."

Halford, renowned for his long-throws, had little chance to display his talent in a quiet second period at the Florian Albert Stadium.

He added: "I didn't get many chances to fling the ball in and what made it more difficult is that the ball was very slippery because it had been raining all day. There was the odd glimpse of the big throw - but there is more to come."