Phil Smith: Patrick Roberts and Sunderland was a special story that created memories to endure

Perhaps this story isn’t quite finished, and there are a few nutmegs still to be landed.

It might in time seem a little premature to be reflecting on Patrick Roberts and Sunderland, given that his move to Birmingham City is initially a season-long loan. But with his contract currently up next summer (Sunderland have the option to extend for a further year), there is a distinct possibility that he has played his last competitive game for the club. Which is a sad sentence to write, even at the end of one the most exciting transfer windows most Sunderland fans can remember.

Some transfers end in success, many in failure, most somewhere in between. Few lead to the kind of bond or the strength of memories that have been created over the last three-and-a-half years. There is much to be said about what Roberts achieved at Sunderland but perhaps the simplest way to put it would be to say that plenty have passed through before and many more will pass through in future without coming close to leaving such an indelible mark or writing such an enchanting chapter in the club’s history.

Roberts wasn’t flawless, no player is. But he was a central architect in the club’s rise from the doldrums to becoming one of the most exciting footballing projects around, his legacy secured in two iconic moments.

There is a strong argument to say that of all the moments that marked Sunderland’s return to the big time, there were few more important than his goal at Hillsborough. It was a play-off tie right on the very edge, one that Sunderland had controlled well but almost lost their grip of when Sheffield Wednesday scored an equaliser almost from nowhere. Roberts had felt partly responsible for letting his man go in the build-up to that goal, but popped up with an excellent run and finish at just the right moment. It is hard to overstate the significance of that strike. Not just in terms of the tie on the night, but in the way it rewired the DNA of a club and a fanbase that had grown used to disappointment and frustration. It was in this moment that ‘Til The End was truly born, the moment a group of players believed they were destined to create something special. Perhaps most importantly, it was the moment that a weary fanbase truly believed the good times were coming back. Manager after manager used to talk of turning round the oil tanker. This was the moment it finally happened.

And then there was that day at Wembley in May. Roberts had almost missed the game entirely with a calf injury, one that would have ruled many out. Instead the winger turned the tide of the contest with his drive and dribbling in the second half, laying on the assist for Eliezer Mayenda’s equaliser that carved open the Sheffield United defence.

To try and sum the contribution that Roberts made in terms of goals and assists would be to miss the point entirely, though. Some players just can’t be described or assessed in that way. You have to see them to know it, to feel that thrill and anticipation when they pick up the ball. That remained a fairly rare thing, at least in terms of recent memory, for Sunderland supporters when Roberts arrived.

Though the season ended in play-off heartache, many will remember 2022/23 as one of their favourite campaigns following Sunderland. It was most certainly one of my favourites to report on. Like most, the clearest picture I have of that campaign is Roberts and Amad combining on the right, with a speed and instinct beyond most opposition defenders at the level. When they first teamed up at Vicarage Road shortly after Amad’s arrival, a game that looked to be heading for a 2-1 defeat turned into an exhilarating last-gasp draw. Watford didn’t know what to do with his unorthodox combination and they wouldn’t be the last.

Roberts arrived at Sunderland with his career drifting, a player in need of a home after too many stop-start loan spells. Sunderland was a club in need of inspiration, one that had made progress in the months previous but was losing its way in the aftermath of the 6-0 drubbing at Bolton Wanderers.

Roberts wasn’t the only player who made Sunderland fans fall back in love with football, that made going to the match a thrill and not a chore. His legacy is shared in part, with Neil, Amad, Clarke, Pritchard, Stewart... but If this is one of the most exciting times for generations of Sunderland supporters to be following their club, then it’s worth pausing to reflect on that small band of players who were part of the journey from beginning to end. Roberts is one of a handful who made it all possible, showing players everywhere that this was a club that would give them opportunities, that was on the up and where a fanbase will roar you on from week to week. In turn, Roberts had the platform to fall back in love with the game himself.

It’s for precisely that reason that the move to Birmingham came about. Roberts spent too long on the sidelines before his switch to Wearside to risk going through it again, while Sunderland respect the contribution he has made far too much to ask him to do so.

So if this is the end: Cheers, Patrick. It really was a pleasure. Watching the Mini Messi in full flow was pure joy. Which, at the end of the day, is the whole point of this game.

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