Patrick Roberts spoke to SAFC.com after signing his new contract, and outlined his Sunderland promotion hopes after tying down his long-term future at the club.
ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT
“It feels good. I’ve been here two years now and I’ve enjoyed every moment of being here. I kind of new people were having conversations about it so it was the only thing on my mind. I’m just glad to get it done and excited still to be here and continue.”
FOUND A HOME
“When you go out on loan quite a bit, you realise when you’re stable at some places it’s good for you, good for the mind and good for your football. It’s been great here, I’ve loved everything about the club and the fans have been great with me. We’ve won a lot of games together and it’s just been a good journey. I’m willing to continue doing my best for the shirt and winning as many games as we can. Hopefully we’ll push up the table, the aim is to get promoted and that’s what I’m here to do. That’s what I came here to do when I first arrived and it’s still the aim.”
HIGH AMBITIONS
“It’s been a whirlwind, I’ve had a few managers here and I’ve had a promotion, had a good season last year and it’s just been quite a ride. But that’s what it’s like being at a big club, the expectations grow as the seasons go on. We’ve got the aim to get promoted, whether that’s this year or next year, whenever, I hope to be here to do that. That is my aim and my goal. It was when I came here and it still is now. I’m just delighted to be here and to continue, so I’m looking forward to it.”
OFF THE PITCH RELATIONS
“We’ve got a good group here, they’re all young . I was the oldest on the pitch at the weekend so it shows how young our squad is, but they’re all willing to learn and improve every day. Off the pitch they’re great, we have a good laugh. We all play golf and PlayStation, we all get on quite well and the morale is good. It’s just a good place to be at the moment, I’m enjoying it and looking forward to these next few years.”
STRIVE FOR IMPROVEMENT
“It’s only going to grow and we’ll bring in new people, that’s how you expand as a club and try to improve where you can. That’s what big clubs do and they’ve got to strive for the most they can get. Like I said, our aim is to get promoted at some point and I’m sure everyone at the club feels the same. The players feel the same, the board feel the same, the manager feels the same. It’s something we all strive to do every day and you’ve just got to take it step by step, game by game, but with new additions keeping that same ethos throughout the club is important. Hopefully we can get there in the end.”
GOOD START SO FAR
“I think we’ve done well. I think we’ve had some good and some bad games, but with a young team that’s kind of what you get. As long as you pick up as many points as you can, in the long run you have to see where you are at the end. We all know we can do a lot better and that’s what the manager sets us up to do. As players we want to improve and get the best out of the games as much as possible. Obviously the fans turn up every week and hope for the same. So it’s been a solid start, we can do a lot more and we have high expectations, but we’re taking it game by game to get as many points as we can.”
KICK ON NOW
“It’s just nice to get that off my mind now, get it out the way and knowing where I’m going to be for the next couple of years. Hopefully I can kick on, help the team as much as possible and like I said, aim to get the club back to where we belong. That’s what I’m here to do.”
MESSAGE TO FANS
“Thank you for your support every week. Home and away you’ve been excellent ever since I’ve come, you’ve shown so much support. So thank you and I look forward to continuing our success together and our journey.”
