Sunderland vs Plymouth Argyle: Three players who have played for both clubs ahead of Championship match

With 410 miles separating Sunderland’s Stadium of Light from Plymouth’s Home Park, it’s no wonder few players have made the switch between two clubs who will meet for only the 20th time on Saturday.

But recent years have seen a relative rush of players who have donned both red and white and green and white stripes.

As Plymouth prepare to make the second-longest trip in English league football on Saturday, we look at three players who have sampled football on both the North East and South West coasts.

Callum McFadzean: 

A name perhaps easily forgotten on Wearside. McFadzean won promotion to League One with Argyle in 2020, but his refusal to sign a new contract at Home Park resulted in him joining Sunderland on a free transfer that October.

McFadzean had caught the eye at Plymouth as an overlapping left-back/wing-back with an eye for goal. But his Sunderland career began badly – as League Two strugglers Mansfield knocked the Black Cats out of the FA Cup at the first-round stage for the second year running.

Having impressed in fits and starts – with three League One assists and a goal in a 1-1 draw against promotion rivals Lincoln – McFadzean lost his place as Sunderland stumbled on the season run-in to only scrape into the play-offs. His final game in a red and white shirt was a 2-1 victory on the day but a devastating 3-2 play-off semi-final defeat on aggregate – again against Lincoln.

Having left the Stadium of Light when his one-year contract expired, McFadzean signed for Crewe Alexandra, before moving on to Wrexham in January 2023, and helping the Red Dragons to promotion back into the Football League.

Jay Matete: 

Sunderland reportedly beat a number of Premier League and Championship clubs to the punch when they signed energetic midfielder Matete from Fleetwood in January 2022.

The youngster made 12 starts on the run-in of the 2021/22 League One season, and came off the bench at Wembley as Sunderland clinched promotion by beating Wycombe in the play-off final.

But Matete was restricted to a fringe role under Alex Neil and then new head coach Tony Mowbray in the first half of the following campaign, before moving to Plymouth at the end of the January transfer window on loan. Again, Matete started strongly at Home Park, but lost his starting place as the Pilgrims’ League One promotion battle reached its height.

Having returned to Wearside last summer, Matete suffered a knee injury during pre-season and made another League One loan move – to Oxford United – last week.

Bali Mumba:

Mumba was regarded as one of the brightest-ever products of the Sunderland academy when he was promoted to the first-team squad at 16. But he will return to Wearside this weekend having truly come of age.

South Shields-born Mumba not only made his Black Cats debut – replacing skipper John O’Shea – but briefly wore the captain’s armband in a home win over Wolves on the final day of the 2017/18 season, still five months shy of his 17th birthday.

Yet Mumba went on to make just four League One appearances for Sunderland the following campaign, and none at all the following season, before leaving for Norwich in July 2020.

Mumba also featured only fleetingly in the Canaries’ first team and was loaned to Peterborough, before another temporary move – to Plymouth – proved the launchpad for his senior career.

Having been regarded by Sunderland as a defensive midfielder, Mumba flourished in a left-wing role under Steve Schumacher at Home Park last season, making 16 goal contributions as the Pilgrims won automatic promotion from League One.

That prompted a permanent move worth around £1million, and Mumba has been a regular starter again this season – even after Schumacher’s departure to Stoke – as Plymouth look to establish themselves in the Championship.