'Football-savvy' Alex Pritchard's positional awareness made him a natural choice to play as a false nine at Reading, says Tony Mowbray. Sunderland's head coach had to have a mid-game reshuffle on Wednesday night when Ellis Simms - his only fit senior centre-forward - limped off with a toe injury before half-time at the Madejski Stadium.
Mowbray opted to play Pritchard up front but, at 5ft 7in, he was not expected to lead the line in the same way that Simms had, and instead he played in a slightly different role which meant he dropped deeper to receive the ball and then bring the wide players into the game. The moved worked, with Sunderland going on to win 3-0 with Patrick Roberts scoring twice and Jack Clarke once, with all three goals coming after Simms had departed.
Mowbray is hoping Simms will be fit enough to play at Watford this afternoon but, if not, Pritchard could reprise the role he played at Reading. Asked about the thinking behind playing Pritchard up front, Mowbray explained: "Alex played there, basically, because of his football intelligence, his awareness of a different position and what his responsibilities are.
