Former Wolves captain Danny Batth is in the form of his life at Sunderland this season and his outstanding displays have been rewarded with the Championship side’s Player of the Year award.
A couple of months ago, former Black Cats striker Stephen Elliott labelled the experienced centre-half ‘one of the best value for money signings this club has ever made’.
News that Batth had been ruled out of the run-in with a knee injury, then, is a sizeable blow to Sunderland’s promotion hopes; the 32-year-old skipper joining star striker Ross Stewart on the sidelines.
Batth, who joined on a free transfer from Stoke City in 2022, has been a colossal presence in a rather callow Sunderland team; his know-how and presence integral on and off the pitch.
“Danny Batth needs a special mention, I think,” manager Tony Mowbray beamed following a particularly impenetrable display during December’s 3-0 thumping of fellow play-off chasers Millwall at the Stadium of Light.
“Against such a potent team with set plays and how many first contacts they win, it was amazing how dominant he was. I think about 63% of their goals come from set plays and that shows you how important Danny was for us, and how amazing a job he did for us.”
Former Wolves captain Danny Batth starring at Sunderland
While Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo picked up the Young Player of the Season award, the big gong is now sitting in Batth’s own mantelpiece; The Wolverhampton Wanderers academy graduate, who left Molineux in a £3 million deal, picking up his first individual prize since his time in Old Gold.
Batth’s absence, however, could hardly have come at a worse time with Mowbray’s exciting young side looking to secure back-to-back promotions. The good news, at least, is that Sunderland have won three and drawn two of the five Championship games in which Batth has not started so far in 2022/23.
The versatile Luke O’Nien and Trai Hume were outstanding at centre-half during Sunday’s 2-1 triumph over West Brom.
“(Injuries are) a pretty common theme for us. But we seem to have overcome most of the problems I think,” an optimistic Mowbray points out.
“You get the gravity of losing a proper central defender really, who I thought the other night was amazing (against Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield Town).
“We gave away too many corners and free-kicks the other night. And yet it was his head making first contact, flicking it away, getting rid of the danger. He’s going to be a huge loss for us.”
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