Sunderland spent £1.8million to sign Jon Stead from Blackburn Rovers in 2005 but quickly sold the striker to Sheffield United.
It is fair to say that when Jon Stead hangs up his boots he will not be best remembered by that spell at Sunderland.
The Wearside giants paid £1.8 million to sign the promising centre forward from Blackburn Rovers in June 2005, but his time at the Stadium of Light did not exactly go as expected.
Stead scored just twice in 40 games for Sunderland and was forced to wait 11 months to break his duck. A year and a half after arriving, the 6ft 3ins target man was sold to Sheffield United at a £1 million loss.
And the current Notts County talisman has now opened up about his ill-fated time in the North East and his inability to make an impact under Mick McCarthy, who was sacked before Stead managed to open his account for the club.
“I don’t have many regrets in my life, but how my career turned out when I first went to Sunderland is one,” the now 35-year-old said in quotes reported by the Chronicle.
“He showed a lot of faith in me, Mick McCarthy, and he was proper sound as well; a really nice guy. He’d chased me for 18 months and when he finally signed me I couldn’t hit a barn door.
“So yeah, that’s one of my biggest regrets. I let him down badly. That still haunts me if I’m honest, my time at Sunderland.”
Stead, who is celebrating his 550th career appearance, did not exactly shine after leaving Sunderland for Sheffield United either, netting 11 times in 47 games.
But the veteran striker has arguably enjoyed the best spell of his career in recent years, hitting double figures in each of the last four seasons with Bradford City and Notts County.
Stead famously inspired a remarkable FA Cup upset in January 2015, playing a starring role as Bradford recovered from two goals down to beat Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
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