Ten players you probably forgot played for Sunderland in League One

Marc McNulty played 21 times for Sunderland and scored five goals, yet I’d probably not even recognise him if I caught him keying my car.

He was alright, I suppose. McNulty signed on loan for the 2019/20 season but the club decided they’d had enough of him and terminated it early at the end of January.

McNulty is currently 30-years-old and without a club, so guessing his career didn’t go all that well after leaving Sunderland either.

Remi Matthews

I thought we didn’t really see much of Remi Matthews, but it turns out he played 11 times for the club including six League One appearances.

He was brought to the club for the 2020/21 season as a back-up for Lee Burge, which was probably a real clue to his quality.

I’d love to tell you more about him, but I legitimately can’t remember anything he ever did. He is currently the number one at St Johnstone.

Jerome Sinclair

Jerome Sinclair was Liverpool’s youngest ever player, so he was definitely really good at one time. Sunderland loaned him from Watford for the 2018/19 season, and he was alright.

He played 19 times and scored a couple of goals. I think one of them was against Peterborough.

Anyway, his loan was also terminated early and he spend the second half of the season with Oxford, where he scored four goals. 

He is currently without a club and runs a franchise of Morley’s, a fried chicken takeaway, in Birmingham.

Laurens de Bock

Oh good grief! Laurens de Bock! He was supposed to be good at one point or another, wasn’t he?

I mean, he played 130 games for Club Brugge, including actual Champions League matches (seriously – he played three matches in 2016, two of them against Leicester). Something must have convinced Leeds to pay £1.5million for him.

So he looked like he’d be an alright loan signing for Sunderland in League One, but he couldn’t have been. I mean, I am sure I would have remembered something about him from his ten appearances, but I’m pretty sure I don’t.

He currently plays in Greece with Atromitos.

Glenn Loovens

Glenn Loovens was supposed to be the wise old head and on-pitch leader to guide Sunderland effortlessly out of League One at the first attempt.

He signed a two-year deal on a free transfer ahead of the 2018/19 season. That didn’t go well.

In fact, considering he only played 13 times and broke his contract half-way through it to retire, I’d definitely say it went pretty badly.

Dylan McGeouch

You know, I do actually remember Dylan McGeouch. In fairness, I had forgotten about him until someone mentioned him to me earlier this week, but he was decent.

I remember he had a neat and tidy game but just couldn’t force his way into the Sunderland team after a few early injuries.

He played for Sunderland 41 times in 18 months and left to join Aberdeen. He is currently back in League One with Forest Green Rovers.

Lewis Morgan

Lewis Morgan was another in the McGeouch mould in that you forget about him until his name randomly comes up somewhere. However, the few recollections you do have of him were okay.

He signed on loan from Celtic in January 2019 and was a regular in the side. He played 22 games, two of them at Wembley, and scored two goals.

Was he the lad who took corners with both feet? Not Elliot Embleton, but like Embleton does? He might be, but I can’t remember.

Anyway, he’s currently tearing up the MLS with New York Red Bull after a spell with David Beckham’s Inter Miami FC.

Jake Vokins

Cards on the table here: While I don’t really remember everyone else on this list, when I see their names I at least recognise it immediately. That wasn’t the case for Jake Vokins.

After a bit of head scratching, I did remember him, but only just – and not particularly fondly.

Vokins was supposed to be the next big thing to come out of the Southampton academy, and he made his debut for the Saints as a teenager.

He signed on loan in January 2021, made four appearances, got Covid, and sat out loads more games due to fears over a heart-flicker that showed up on an ECD.

He is still contracted to Southampton, but in the middle of a season-long loan at National League Woking.

Morgan Feeney

Look, I’m not saying that whichever madman was making the transfer decisions at Sunderland was not confident about Feeney, but he only got a half-season contract when he joined as a free agent in 2020.

Mind, fair play, his Sunderland record was spectacular. One appearance, one win, and one goal – in an 8-1 win.

When his half-year deal expired, he left for Carlisle where he has established himself as a solid player in League Two.

By the way... technically, technically, Feeney didn't actually play for Sunderland in League One, only the Papa Johns Cup. I'm counting him anyway. 

Kazaiah Sterling

January 2019 deadline day will probably go down as the worst in Sunderland’s history. Josh Maja and all his goals had gone, and Stewart Donald was throwing bids at clubs for just about every striker around, including John Marquis, Freddie Ladapo and Tom Eaves.

In desperation, they took Kazaiah Sterling on loan from Spurs – a 20-year-old with just 11 minutes of senior football to his name.

He came in, didn’t start a game, scored one goal (that I can’t remember – at Accrington apparently), and left. He currently plays in the US third tier for South Georgia Tormenta FC.

Sterling wasn't even the worst Sunderland signing that day, considering Will Grigg also arrived. 

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