Anthony Patterson left Sunderland on a permanent basis this summer to join Championship side Wrexham

Anthony Patterson has opened up on his decision to leave Sunderland for Wrexham this summer, stating his determination to play regularly after half a season as understudy to Robin Roefs.

Patterson began pre-season with the Black Cats following a loan spell at Millwall in the second half of the last campaign, and his status as a proven goalkeeper and homegrown player for the Europa League led many to argue he should stay at the club for the season ahead. Sunderland ultimately banked an initial fee of around £8 million from Wrexham, with potential add-ons to be realised down the line.

Speaking on That Wrexham Podcast, Patterson opened up on how his time at Millwall convinced him he needed to move permanently in order to play regularly.

"I'm a playing goalkeeper, I need the stimulus of playing the games and being in the games," Patterson said.

"Obviously I went to Millwall last year and it kind of brought back the buzz of playing games and I was like 'look, I need to leave'. I want to be playing games regularly again, so yeah I think it was pretty much a no brainer [to join Wrexham]."

Patterson also opened up on his disappointment at not being able to play for his boyhood club in the Premier League, with the club signing Roefs in the aftermath of their promotion to the Premier League. The 26-year-old said he was 'gutted' by the decision but added that the success of the side in the season that followed meant he could have few complaints.

"Obviously I was gutted I didn't get a chance to play in the Premier League, but fair play to the boys that came in. They were incredible and obviously the club ended up finishing seventh in a Europa League spot so I couldn't really have too many complaints," Patterson said.

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"I'd say I was definitely gutted I didn't get a chance to actually see if I could play in the Premier League. I found it really tough at the start, just trying to stay consistent in training and stuff. I found it really hard without the actual game time and the Saturday of playing games. It was just like training, training, training, training and I found it really continuous.

"I did obviously really well in the play-off final and I thought I'd done enough to at least earn my start in the Premier League to see how I'd do, so obviously I was really disappointed that I didn't get that chance but like I said before fair play to the boys, they've done unbelievable."

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Patterson has quickly established himself as a mainstay in the Wrexham side under Phil Parkinson, making eight appearances since his move from Wearside. The goalkeeper is looking to add a third promotion to his CV and a shot at playing regularly at the Premier League: "I think, especially after having experienced it before, I think coming to a club like this with the ambition of getting promoted to the Premier League, I think it's such a big thing and it's something that the feeling you get from doing it is incredible and it's something that I feel like I'm addicted to and I want to do it over and over again."

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