Sunderland was on their way back to the Championship after defeating Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 in the 2021/22 League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium. However, one of their most important players, Nathan Broadhead, was not coming with them. At the age of 24, Broadhead had joined the Black Cats in the summer of 2021 on a season-long loan from Premier League team, Everton. The Welshman gained popularity among fans in the latter part of the season due to his vital goal contributions; despite missing a significant amount of time due to injury, the forward scored a string of pivotal goals for the North East club, which enabled them to reach the League One play-off finish.
Rather than returning to the Stadium of Light, Broadhead signed on loan for Championship rivals Wigan Athletic after a summer filled with twists and turns. At first, considering how well Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms worked together in front of goal, it looked like the right choice, but the Welshman was thinking forward.
It was a while before Broadhead really got rolling at the Stadium of Light. The Everton loanee played 153 minutes in Sunderland’s first 13 games of the 2021–2022 Championship season. Manager Lee Johnson was finding it hard to find room for the left-winger. In contrast, Aiden McGeady, Sunderland’s first-choice left-winger, was unstoppable as he had already recorded two goals and four assists in as many games.
Not until the middle of the season did Broadhead start to establish himself. Against Cambridge United, the winger netted the game-winning goal, his first for the team. He had no idea that this was a portent of things to come. Johnson only needed to integrate the Welshman into the lineup by finding a center-forward position for him next to Ross Stewart, the team’s most prolific striker. Then there was a rush of goals. Four goals in as many games were scored by Broadhead, including the game-winning goal against Plymouth Argyle and the equaliser against Ipswich Town, the team he would later join.
The only thing that could stop Broadhead was an injury – a bad one. In December, it was reported that the forward suffered a serious hamstring injury, which he sustained during their EFL Cup quarter-final game against Arsenal. The Welshman had already made the headlines for his deft finish past Arsenal goalkeeper, Bernd Leno. In what was initially feared to be a season-ending injury, Broadhead remained out of action for two months, missing 13 matches in the process. On his return, he managed 70 minutes against Charlton Athletic before missing the following three games as a precaution.
With seven games to go, Sunderland were still fighting for promotion, but it was to go down to the wire. Broadhead was instrumental on his return, scoring five goals in seven games, including three winning goals against Gillingham, Shrewsbury Town and Morecambe respectively. Without his goals, Sunderland may not have made the play-offs, as the club finished the season in fifth, just four points ahead of seventh place Plymouth.
The Black Cats achieved promotion by defeating Wycombe at Wembley, but due to an injury, Broadhead only managed three minutes in all three play-off games. That summer, Sunderland missed out on signing Broadhead from Everton, with the forward joining Wigan instead. Initially, the move did not appear to be catastrophic for Sunderland, given Stewart and Simms’ successful partnership in front of goal. Furthermore, Broadhead only managed five goals during his spell at the Latics, before joining League One outfit, Ipswich, on a permanent deal in January.
Broadhead’s move to Ipswich, a team in the division below Sunderland, appeared to ease concerns that the Black Cats had made the wrong call on the forward, but they were oh so wrong. The fee was undisclosed, but given he had a market value of £500,000, Ipswich would have picked him up relatively cheaply.
Broadhead proved again that League One was his playground. This time, playing in his favoured left-wing position, the Welshman scored eight goals in 19 appearances, but also significantly produced six assists – he did not record any assists for Sunderland. After his arrival at Portman Road, Ipswich went on an imperious run – the Tractor Boys recorded a staggering 14 wins, four draws and one loss in the games Broadhead was involved in. Ipswich achieved a second place finish, achieving automatic promotion to the Championship – just two points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday. Broadhead had done it again.
Football has a weird and wonderful way of creating story lines that would seem impossible to write. Ipswich’s first game of the season took place at the Stadium of Light – Broadhead’s old stomping ground. With a point to prove, the left-winger produced a man of the match performance with a goal and assist in Ipswich’s 2-1 win. The performance and result laid the path for the Tractor Boys’ season, but set one of regret for Sunderland.
Broadhead went on to contribute 13 goals and four assists in what was a historic season for Ipswich. The Tractor Boys achieved promotion back to the Premier League, ending a 20-year wait. While Ipswich achieved back to back promotions, Sunderland drifted to a 16th placed finish – well short of their promotion ambitions. Although left-winger, Jack Clarke, produced 15 goals, Sunderland’s strikers managed a mere three goals between them, demonstrating how Broadhead had been missed.
When Sunderland missed out on Broadhead, the blow was softened given the success of the strike partnership between Stewart and Simms. Sunderland were on the up and Broadhead was uninspiring at a struggling Wigan.
Two years later, and the Welshman is preparing to make his mark on the Premier League with Ipswich, while Sunderland are finding it difficult to sign a goal-scoring striker. Broadhead had to take a step back to take two steps forward, but will be feeling justified in his career path.
As for Sunderland, they will be left wondering what might have been.
