Anthony Patterson reached an impressive milestone during Sunderland’s draw with QPR at the weekend.
Anthony Patterson made only nine appearances on loan for Notts County before he was recalled by Sunderland in 2022, becoming the club’s first choice goalkeeper for the second half of the campaign.
A 2-1 defeat to Cheltenham Town was the start of a long-standing position in the starting line-up for the youngster, who hasn’t been dropped since.
Battling with the likes of Lee Burge, Ron-Thorben Hoffman and Nathan Bishop, Patterson has become a vital part of Sunderland’s squad and has now joined a very exclusive club at the Stadium of Light.
As per BBC Radio Newcastle (via Sunderland AFC News And Banter Page), the 23-year-old made history in the draw against QPR as he became the first player this century to make his 100th consecutive appearance for Sunderland, and only the seventh in the club’s history.
BBC’s Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes responded to the statistic in amazement, saying: “That is some achievement! A nice record to have.”
Unless he picks up an injury, Patterson is likely to keep his place in the team for the rest of the campaign, which could potentially take him up to 108 consecutive appearances.
Whether he can reach past that remains to be seen, as we could see the shot-stopper linked with a move away in the summer.
Would Anthony Patterson benefit from working below Alisson at Liverpool?
Patterson was already attracting interest from Liverpool during the January window, but Jurgen Klopp’s departure and Michael Edwards return could well turn their heads elsewhere.
The England U21 international has been particularly ‘unbelievable’ at times for Sunderland this term, but even when he does make a mistake, there is never any chance of him actually being dropped.
Patterson has rarely had any serious competition for his place in the line-up, with current understudy Nathan Bishop having only played for Southend United and Mansfield Town in his senior career.
Patterson is undeniably a great ‘keeper and it would be a huge shame if we lost him this summer, but he would likely improve massively if he wasn’t so comfortable in his position.
It would also help him if he had someone there to learn from – if his understudy was someone older than him, with plenty of experience that can help him develop as a player. One thing he will be aware of is that that would work brilliantly for him if he was playing alongside Alisson at Anfield.