Notts County helped confirm what Sunderland AFC already knew about rising star | OneFootball

Anthony Patterson's loan spell at Notts County outlined the ability that Sunderland knew he possessed.

Key Takeaways

Anthony Patterson’s 2021/22 loan spell at Notts County proved to be a real coming of age moment for the Sunderland shot-stopper.

The young goalkeeper had been earmarked for success for several years in the North East, but his time at Notts served as a huge stepping stone in the career of the talented youngster.

A series of impressive performances for the Magpies helped elevate his ability to the point where he returned to the Stadium of Light ready for League One football, and ready to shoulder the burden of being the number-one keeper at such a big club.

Since his short spell at Meadow Lane, Patterson has gone on to become arguably one of the most highly rated young keepers in the country.

Patterson’s Notts spell showed he was destined for big things

When Patterson joined Notts as cover for the injured Sam Slocombe in September 2021, expectations for the youngster were unclear.

Back in 2019, he was described by Sunderland’s then-goalkeeping coach Lee Butler as having: “The best hands of a young goalkeeper, well probably any goalkeeper, I’ve worked with for a long time.”

However, having made just six senior appearances before arriving in Nottingham, there wasn’t much of an indication as to the level Patterson was at.

He eventually left Notts having made just 13 appearances in all competitions, but it was clear to see his ceiling was much higher up the pyramid.

Despite this, Patterson endured a fairly rocky start in black and white. He debuted in a 1-0 defeat at Altrincham on 25th September, a loss which sparked a three-match winless run for Ian Burchnall’s side.

This run culminated in a horrible defeat to Halifax Town, where Notts blew a two-goal lead against 10 men to go down 3-2 in West Yorkshire.

From there, however, he really caught the eye with several high-quality performances, in a run of form that saw him keep three clean sheets in 10 games in all competitions.

He brought a huge upgrade to Notts’ goalkeeping department with his distribution. Patterson was extremely capable with his feet over both short and long distances, something which provided Notts with another valuable dimension to their possession-heavy style.

However, the next few months became very stop-start for the youngster.

He was recalled by Sunderland boss Lee Johnson on November 19th following an injury to Lee Burge. He had a run of eight games between the sticks for the Black Cats, including a 5-1 EFL Cup defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Patterson was then loaned out to Notts once again on December 31st, this time on a deal until the end of the season. He saved a penalty from Paul Mullin on his second Magpies debut, in a crucial 3-1 win over Wrexham, in what would prove to be his final game in black and white.

He was recalled by Johnson again on January 7th and this time, Patterson went on to establish himself as Sunderland’s number one, playing 20 games in the league, as well as the resulting play-off campaign as the Black Cats secured a return to the Championship.

Patterson’s stock has continued to rise since his time at Notts

Patterson’s career has gone from strength to strength since that save from Mullin in January 2022.

He’s solidified his position as Sunderland’s starting goalkeeper - barely missing a game over the past few seasons.

He’s also become one of the most sought-after young keepers in the country and looks destined for the Premier League in the near future, either with or without Sunderland.

Southampton, Arsenal and Liverpool have shown an interest previously, and with six clean sheets from just 11 games so far this season (he had started every game until picking up a knock), that interest looks unlikely to wane soon.

He earned international honours in 2023, winning his first England U21s cap in a defeat to Japan, and there have even been calls for him to earn a first senior call-up in recent years.

He still looks back on his time at Meadow Lane fondly, revealing in April 2022 that: “The step-up in quality, physicality and everything at that level helped me massively.”

Although his time at Notts was short, exposure to men’s football at a young age can be extremely valuable to goalkeepers, and with Patterson’s reputation rising almost constantly, even bigger opportunities may be just around the corner.