Sunderland duo nominated for monthly EFL awards after unbeaten January
Regis Le Bris and Anthony Patterson have both been recognised by the EFL.
Sunderland duo Regis Le Bris and Anthony Patterson have been nominated for the Championship’s Manager and Player of the Month awards respectively.
The Black Cats enjoyed an unbeaten January, winning three and drawing two of their five matches, including a vital victory over promotion rivals Sheffield United. Patterson in particular shone during that contest at the Stadium of Light, saving a penalty as the home side ran out to 2-1 winners.
In total, the 24-year-old would concede just three goals all month, keeping clean sheets against Portsmouth, Burnley, and Derby County. A statement from the EFL on the his nomination read: “Patterson helped Sunderland when it mattered most, keeping three clean sheets in five games. He saved a penalty at 0-0 against Sheffield United, produced a brilliant one-handed stop in the draw at Burnley and preserved the 1-0 win at Derby.”
If Patterson is to win the accolade, he will have to fend off competition from Coventry City midfielder Jamie Allen, Oxford United defender Ciaron Brown, and Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, who broke Sunderland hearts with an impressive display at Turf Moor in mid-January. On his nomination, the EFL said: “Trafford was unbeatable in January with a pristine record of six clean sheets. The highlights came against Burnley’s promotion rivals, saving two Wilson Isidor penalties in the dying minutes against Sunderland and making a crucial late stop against Leeds.”
What has the Burnley keeper said?
Speaking in the aftermath of his heroics, Trafford said: “In the game, we had the better chances. So if you take the two penalties out of it, like two penalties are two mistakes, but if you take the two pens out of it, then we played, in my opinion, we should have won. We had the better chances.”
For his part, Le Bris is in the running to win his third Manager of the Month award since arriving on Wearside over the summer. The Frenchman has surpassed the expectations of many by guiding the Black Cats towards an automatic promotion race this term, and his efforts in recent weeks have also been recognised by the EFL.
The governing body writes: “For a young team, Sunderland’s consistency under Le Bris has been impressive as 11 points from five unbeaten games. That allowed them to keep pace with the top three, as did a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United and a goalless draw at Burnley.”
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Speaking after his first award back in August, Le Bris said: "I am very proud to start a new experience at a big club like Sunderland. The welcome has been incredible and the connection with the staff, players and supporters has been impressive. It is a collective success for it. It is a good start but now we need to maintain the level."
The winners of January’s award will be announced on Friday, February 7th.
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