Sunderland goalkeeper hailed as 'a natural' as Tony Mowbray outlines his expectations

Tony Mowbray says he has been ‘impressed’ with young Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who now appears firmly established as the club’s number one.

Patterson has enjoyed a meteoric rise considering he was playing in the Football Conference last season for Notts County.

Since then he has returned to Sunderland, been given his chance, played a crucial part in the promotion from League One and signed a new four-year contract.

The club’s faith in him was demonstrated further when they resisted any temptation to bring in an established keeper during the summer, and Mowbray believes that trust has proven well-justified.

"He's been really good, I have to say," Mowbray said of Patterson. "He does things naturally that I like about goalkeepers.

“He takes a really good starting position, he's not always stuck on his line, so if the ball is out wide and they are going to cross it, he is generally on the edge of his six-yard box knowing that he can get to the near post if there is miskicked cross that looks like it is going in.

"At times he has shown a little bit of hesitancy, but he is a young boy and he is playing behind experienced players like Danny Batth. He has to learn to use his voice and take command of his area, but generally his shot-stopping and his distribution has been pretty good.”

There were some doubts about Patterson coming into the season, but few questioned his shot-stopping ability. The concerns were more about his willingness to control his six-yard box, but Mowbray thinks he has the courage to develop that side of his game further.

"If you want to break goalkeepers down, it's not just about saving shots it's about taking crosses. It's about the bravery of their positional play as the game is going on.

"Are they threatening every cross that comes in, or are they always glued to their line? He's shown good qualities to be brave but also to keep the ball out of his net, he has made some good saves.

"We like him. We like his personality, and that is something we are developing further."

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