Anthony Patterson is 'fine' and will remain in contention for Sunderland for the remaining three games of the Championship season despite a late injury scare in the 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
Sunderland interim head coach Mike Dodds has eased any concerns over the fitness of his No.1 goalkeeper after Patterson required treatment late in the game in the West Midlands where he appeared to clutch at his hamstring. Sunderland were managing their lead at that moment in the game, with Carlos Corberan's side pressing for an equaliser after Pierre Ekwah's strike in first half stoppage time had handed Sunderland the lead.
West Brom contested the second half with 10 men following the dismissal of forward Brandon Thomas-Asante who was sent off for two bookable offences in quick succession at the end of the first half after challenges on both Jack Clarke and Dan Ballard. Both escaped injury and so too has Patterson, it seems, after Dodds issued an update on 23-year-old where he admitted the wear and tear of a draining campaign may be taking its toll on a selection of his squad.
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"He’s okay," Dodds told We Are Sunderland. "Patto has played well over 100 games now consistently, it’s phenomenal really, and he would be one who probably needs the break. I’m not giving him that opportunity, don’t get me wrong, but I think the summer for somebody like Anthony Patterson is going to be really important in that he switches off and forgets about football. He’s still a young man.
"It wasn’t gamesmanship at all. I’ll be honest, there’s probably four or five in the group who have given everything and they’ve done that now consistently for two seasons – Trai Hume has played from probably January onwards and went away with the national team in the summer as well, Dan Ballard another. And when you get to this time in the season you start to get one or two where it shows a little bit.
"But Patto is fine, he’s giving everything. I just feel as though we’re getting to the end of the season where your body starts to give you some kind of warning signs. But he’ll be fine and he’ll be available for Saturday."
Patterson has enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence at the Stadium of Light over the last two years following a hugely successful loan spell with Notts County in 2021. Since returning to the club he has firmly established himself as Sunderland's No.1 goalkeeper after being brought into the starting line-up by Dodds during his first spell in interim charge in League One against Cheltenham Town where he went on to retain his spot in goal for the remaining 16 games of the club's promotion campaign.
Patterson has continued as Sunderland's No.1 upon their return to the Championship over the last two season's where he has started every game - a run of consistency which has seen him named the North East Football writers' young player of the year in 2022 before the Academy of Light graduate was rewarded with a new long-term deal on Wearside until the summer of 2028 earlier this season.
He became only the seventh player to feature in 100 consecutive games for Sunderland recently with the 23-year-old another commodity with Premier League potential having been the subject of interest from the top flight over the last 12 months.
Patterson's shutout at the Hawthorns was his fifth clean sheet in his last six Championship outings and his 13th of the campaign - only Leeds United's Illian Meslier (19), West Brom's Alex Palmer (17) and Ipswich Town's Vaclav Hladky (14) have more than the former England under-21 international.
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