BBC Journalist reveals Sunderland's coach secrets as he is set to......

Anthony Patterson accomplished a noteworthy feat during Sunderland’s Saturday draw with QPR.

After making just nine appearances while on loan at Notts County, Anthony Patterson was called back to Sunderland in 2022 and started the second half of the season as the team’s first-choice custodian.

The young player’s debut in the starting lineup came during a 2-1 loss to Cheltenham Town, and he hasn’t been removed since.

Patterson, who has battled alongside players like Lee Burge, Ron-Thorben Hoffman, and Nathan Bishop, has established himself as an essential member of Sunderland’s team and has now joined an exclusive group at the Stadium of Light.

The 23-year-old achieved history in the draw against QPR, according to BBC Radio Newcastle (via Sunderland AFC News And Banter Page). He was only the seventh player in Sunderland’s history to make 100 straight appearances. He was also the first player to do it this century.

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.