OTD: MAX POWER DEBUT

On this day in 2018, Max Power had his debut for Sunderland in a draw away to Luton Town. He made 137 appearances and scored 13 goals for the Lads, as well as captaining the team, during his time on Wearside.

Power’s first club was local team Tranmere Rovers where he made 127 appearances from 2011-2015 before moving to Wigan Athletic. During his four-year stint with Wigan Athletic, he won two League One titles, in 2016 and 2018, playing 143 games along the way and contributing 11 goals.

In August 2018, he came to Sunderland on loan and then joined permanently in January 2019. During that initial loan spell, he managed to pick up three red cards, with one of them eventually being rescinded. He played twice at Wembley for us in his first season, firstly in the EFL Trophy final which we lost on penalties to Portsmouth and the latter in the League One playoff final in which we were defeated 2-1 to Charlton Athletic.

Power's second of three seasons at the Stadium of Light was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, as we finished 8th in the third tier. This represented our lowest ever finish in the Football League in the club's history but in his third and final year here he was named the club's captain. That final year didn't end in promotion, as we lost in the playoff semi final to Lincoln City.

His most memorable moment with SAFC must have been when he lifted a trophy in a crowdless Wembley Stadium, when we won the EFL Trophy final in March 2021, our first Wembley victory in nearly 50 years. This match against Power’s old team, Tranmere, was one of his final matches for the club since, in May 2021, he had announced his departure from the club. He said that “to captain this club was a huge honour and privilege”. He then went back to Wigan Athletic who were (along with Sunderland) promoted to the Championship in the 2021-22 season, with him winning his third League One title with the club.

During his time on Wearside, Max Power was highly influential and was a great captain of the squad. He easily adapted after injuries to Conor McLaughlin and Luke O’Nien meant Power had to move to full-back in the 2020-21 season but thanks to his versatility, the team didn’t suffer as a result of his move.

He also shut Joey Barton up in February 2020 with a 97th minute equaliser against Fleetwood Town. Power unfortunately never saw us promoted in these three years (no matter how close we got).

In 2023, his second spell with Wigan came to an end and he moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Qadsiah, where he stayed for one year until moving to Denmark with AGF. In the Middle East, he helped his team to promotion via the second tier title. In May 2025, he signed for his current club, Bradford City, and was quickly made their captain.