Born on this day is Swedish forward Rade Prica, who played only six games for the lads despite being signed for £2 million, although he did score on his debut!
The striker arrived on Wearside with an impressive scoring record, and had previously been the top scorer in the Danish league. When he scored on his debut for the lads, everything looked positive for the Swede. He replaced Dwight Yorke at half time, and ran himself into the ground with Sunderland already 1-0 up. Latching onto Liam Ridgewell’s mistake, the goal wasn’t special but it was good to see a debut goal and perhaps a sign on things to come (spoiler- it wasn't). Prica could have had another, finding the back of the net only for the referee to rule it out for handball.
The following match, Prica was subbed on after just 7 minutes. However, he was then hauled off after 56 minutes because of a poor performance. The Scandinavian striker never started another match, only featuring in four more matches as a substitute for minimal minutes.
Roy Keane allowed Prica to leave in March 2009, returning to Scandinavia with Norwegian club Rosenborg. In Norway, the striker rediscovered his form and became the top scorer in the league in 2009. In 2013, Prica joined Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv where he was fairly prolific, scoring eight goals in his first eighteen appearances.
JACK BALDWIN
Also born on this day is former Sunderland and Peterborough defender Jack Baldwin. Baldwin was one of the few players in 2018 that Stewart Donald paid money for, making him a marquee transfer. Baldwin started very brightly, impressing with his range of passing and great timing of his tackles. Some fans even gave him the nickname ‘Jackenbauer’! As Sunderland fought for promotion under Jack Ross, Baldwin became a key figure in the heart of defence.
However, as the season went on Baldwin’s weaknesses became more and more clear. He was part of a shocking defensive unit that conceded five to Coventry, and he never looked the same player. Clearly suffering from a confidence issue, the former Posh captain revealed on Netflix that he was in a bad mental state: “if I went in and demanded to play and, God forbid, made another mistake then I wouldn't be able to live with myself”.
After being dropped following Coventry, Baldwin never regained his place and missed out on the play-off final. His poor end to the season ended up costing him, joining League Two side Salford City on loan. The defender was injured in his second appearance for the club, and therefore only played 13 league matches in total.
Since being released by Sunderland, Baldwin signed for Bristol Rovers and played a large part in their campaign last season. However, the Gas were relegated under Joey Barton, looking towards life in League Two this season.
