“I want to use the opportunity I have at Sunderland wisely.”
A grateful Anthony Patterson smiled as he reflected on the long-term commitment the club have shown him since he joined Sunderland eight years ago.
Currently on loan at Northern League side Ryton and Crawcrook Albion, Patterson is a first-year scholar at the Academy of Light – a place he has called home since the age of nine.
Having risen through the youth system on Wearside former Academy manager Ged McNamee awarded him a special recognition accolade at the club’s Academy Awards ceremony in May 2016.
A dedicated young stopper, Patterson has made huge sacrifices to reach the level he is at today and has now been given the chance to prove his worth in the under-18 set-up.
And speaking to safc.com, the 17-year-old revealed he revels in the challenges thrown at him from coaching staff at the Academy of Light.
“It is more physically demanding, we have got a lot more sessions and the gym work we do is a lot harder than we were used to last year,” he smiled.
“It is a great challenge and it is something I feel is benefiting me because it has been a long season which didn’t start off too well with the injury I sustained.
“I have got to make sure I am mentally right so I can get through the challenges.
“If you make a commitment then you are showing you want it,” he continued. “It is a statement of your intent.
“When you are travelling a long way I don’t want to waste my time, I want to prove to people I want to be here.
“It was always tough trying to get to training sessions when I was younger, but that commitment I showed from the age of nine is starting to pay off.”
