Gary Bennett has urged Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris to stick with under-fire goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
Sunderland beat Cardiff City 2-1 to put another three points on the board and keep the heat on third-place Burnley, who remain six points ahead of the Black Cats after a 4-0 win over Luton Town.
The Black Cats remain in fourth place of the Championship table heading into tonight’s home clash with Preston North End and look nailed on for a spot in the play-offs.
But many fans are starting to think that goalkeeper Patterson needs to be dropped. The 24-year-old had a particularly poor game in the 1-0 defeat against Hull City last month, scoring an own goal as Sunderland slumped to their first home league defeat of the season so far.
Many supporters want to see Simon Moore come back into the XI. But speaking on Total Sport after the game against Cardiff, Bennett has defended Patterson, and he’s urged Le Bris to stick with the Black Cats academy graduate.
Bennett said: “I thought he should’ve done better. Teams now are putting balls in the box especially to try and test Patterson. But I just think we’ve got to stick with him. He’s done well. He’s a great shot-stopper.”
At the start of March, Le Bris said: “It’s important to repeat that Anthony has been very consistent. It was the only goal of that game so the consequences were really important. But if you focus on the 34 games we’ve played with him, he’s been really good.”
Moore has played six games this season for Sunderland, stepping in when Patterson has been unavailable. He has kept three clean sheets in four league games but hasn't played in the Championship since the 2-2 draw against Coventry City back in November.
His last first team appearance was in January in the FA Cup exit at the hands of Stoke City. The 34-year-old, who joined on a free transfer in the summer, has 12 months left on his contract.
Sunderland also have Matty Young out on loan. The young goalkeeper has been starring for Salford City in League Two.
