OTD: ALEX PRITCHARD BORN

On this day in 1993, former Sunderland midfielder Alex Pritchard was born in Orsett. The highlight of his career with SAFC was, no doubt, winning the League One play-offs with the club at the end of his first season.

Before coming here, he'd spent time as a youth player at Tottenham Hotspur, where he'd been farmed out on loan plenty of times. He was (mostly) liked at Norwich City who signed him permanently but not liked so much at Huddersfield Town. He cost the Terriers £11 million under David Wagner and would have expected to play a part in a long-term project at the John Smith’s Stadium. However, Wagner was sacked in 2019 and, overall, Pritchard played under three different managers during his time with the Terriers.

He became a figure of huge frustration after Huddersfield’s relegation from the Premier League in 2019. He tended to spend more time on the treatment table than the pitch, with fans claiming he was a lazy player with a bad attitude. From reports, Pritchard’s time at Huddersfield seems similar to the signing of Jack Rodwell at Sunderland.

In 2021, after running down his contract with Huddersfield, Pritchard came to Wearside on a free transfer. Fans were apprehensive of the signing at first. A down-hearted player in awful form, with an inconsistent injury record. It was a signing that we would have made in our last stint in the Premier League under Ellis Short's ownership and reminded us of times we’d rather have forgotten. Not to mention, a player of his size might easily struggle against some of the behemoths we faced in League One.

Things got off to a slow start for Pritchard, who tested positive for Covid soon after his arrival. It meant he had no pre-season and had barely spoken to any of his teammates since joining. However, Lee Johnson put his faith in Pritchard, praising the “sacrifices” he’d made to come down to the third tier.

His first league start for the club came against AFC Wimbledon, showing glimpses of quality without creating anything of note. As the season wore on though, Pritchard quickly became one of our most influential players. His first goal for the club came with a curled effort away to Shrewsbury Town and, after that, simply went from strength to strength. Pritch scored four goals and chalked up nine assists in his first season at the club. He also got both assists in our 2-0 play-off final win over Wycombe Wanderers. Needless to say, he played a big role in getting the Lads to the Championship.

He was a regular in our Championship side who were battling for the play-offs in the 2022/23 season. Despite not having the biggest numbers, and sometimes struggling to find a place in the side due to the quality of Jack Clarke, Amad Diallo and Patrick Roberts, he still contributed to the side's success massively. Everyone played well in the last game of the regular campaign against Preston North End but his expert finish on the hour mark doubled our lead and helped to earn us the top six finish.

That summer, when the likes of Danny Batth and Lynden Gooch were being forced out of the club, it seemed a certainty that Pritch would also be on his way. However to his credit he stayed and fought for his spot soon becoming one of the most influential players in the squad once again. His experience and match intelligence meant he would buzz around the pitch, nick those loose balls in tight situations and demand more from his younger teammates. Particularly against Newcastle United, he was one of the very few players who didn't roll over and let them bully him.

That being said, his actions on the day of the Stoke City home game in January 2023 divided opinion amongst our fanbase. A lot of supporters said they didn't blame him for effectively going on strike and forcing a move from the club because it was obvious he wasn't going to get a (much deserved) new deal and he clearly hated Michael Beale. Other fans said he'd turned his back on the club and downed tools, similar to at Huddersfield, and that if he didn't want to play for the badge then so be it.

He got his wish, joining Tony Mowbray's Birmingham City for a nominal fee on deadline day. However, Tony fell ill and had to take medical leave and a series of niggling injuries meant Pritchard barely featured in Birminham's unsuccessful relegation battle. He then went to Turkey with Sivasspor, playing one season in the top flight before his club were relegated. He made one more appearance for them this season but left his team in December and has been a free agent since.