Former Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts has vowed the 6-0 battering on his Sunderland debut at the hands of Bolton Wanderers did not make him reconsider his move to the club.
Wanderers produced an astonishing performance to put six goals past a dismal Sunderland at the end of January at the University of Bolton Stadium. Dion Charles put ahead before Dapo Afolayan added a second before half-time.
Charles bagged his second after the break before Kieran Lee added a fourth as Wanderers blitzed the Black Cats. Danny Batth put through his own net to add a fifth for the hosts before Declan John rounded off the win with a sublime sixth goal for a rampant Wanderers.
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Roberts came off the bench for his Black Cats debut in the second half. He had joined the club from City in the January transfer window, having made only three appearances for the Etihad Stadium outfit after arriving from Fulham in 2015, with loan spells to Celtic, Girona, Norwich City, Middlesbrough and Derby County following.
The manager who handed him his Sunderland debut, Lee Johnson, lost his job a day after the thrashing at the hands of Ian Evatt's side. Alex Neil subsequently took over and has led Sunderland to the League One play-off final this weekend versus Wycombe Wanderers.
Reflecting on the loss at the University of Bolton Stadium, Roberts admits the loss by such a heavy scoreline was 'not great', but was not deterred by the move he had made, after previously being out on loan at Troyes in France. He feels the trust Neil has put in him helps to explain his positive form for the North East club, with all focus on their one remaining fixture and desire to get back into the Championship.
Speaking to the Athletic, Roberts said: “I was only through the door. I knew I wouldn’t be starting but to be involved was nice. Then to lose 6-0 was… not great. The manager was gone a day later and for the club it was obviously worrying: ‘Is it going to be the same kind of year again?’
“I don’t think so (reconsider the move). We were third or fourth in the league, which is a good position at the start of February. There was still a lot of football to be played.
“It was one of those games and there was a turnaround at the club. You could maybe think: ‘Ah, I don’t know what’s going on’. But it’s a football club, a business.
"I was just grateful to be here. I went from playing not much football in France to being at a club like Sunderland, fighting for something. It didn’t really faze me.
"Obviously, it’s not great, but for me it was about getting on with my football, playing, wanting to be somewhere and being a part of something. I don’t get too worried about the other things in football. I just want to play, to be on the pitch.
“At this moment, the manager here is trusting in us, in me. It’s why we’re doing so well, we’ve got that trust. But now the thing is not to get carried away. There’s one more game. A lot of people need to realise that. It’s not done.
“I just try to enjoy it — I’m lucky to play football. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. I can’t get too disheartened or be bad around the place. It’s just not me. I love playing football.”
