As Sunderland welcome Brentford to the Stadium of Light in a clash that could see one of us advance to the last eight of the League Cup, let’s take a look at who’s represented both the Black Cats and the Bees during their careers…
Simon Moore
Veteran shot stopper Moore played for Brentford between 2009 and 2013, making seventy seven appearances during the West London side’s time in League One.
Some Bees fans will remember Moore’s heroics in goal during the 2012/2013 League One playoff semi-final, when he saved
a decisive penalty that would send tonight’s opponents through to the final at Wembley.
His notable double save against Carlisle United in March 2013 is also fondly remembered, saving a spot kick in that match as well.
Moore would move to Bristol City in the summer of 2013 before moving to Cardiff City the following year and twice winning promotion with Sheffield United, from League One to the Premier League. Moore stayed in the Steel City for four years before moving to Coventry City and eventually joining Sunderland for our 2024/2025 promotion campaign.
He’s also included in our Europa League squad for the current campaign.
Jordan Henderson
Henderson graduated from the Academy of Light in 2008 and played in the senior team between 2008 and 2011, racking up seventy one appearances and four goals for the club during that time. He also made his senior England debut in 2010 whilst representing Sunderland at club level.
The midfielder would move to Liverpool at the beginning of the 2011/2012 season. He played for the Merseyside outfit for eleven years, during which he won all four domestic English honours as well as the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.
Henderson moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in 2023/2024 and then to Dutch giants Ajax during the same campaign.
He subsequently left the Netherlands to return to the Premier League after a two-year hiatus, joining Brentford for 2025/2026, making thirty four appearances and recording four goal involvements before moving to West London rivals Chelsea last summer.
The seasoned England international scored a fantastic brace and registered an assist against Bournemouth earlier this month.
Alex Pritchard
A promotion semi-finalist with Brentford and a promotion winner with Sunderland, Pritchard’s career started in North London with Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.
He then went on loan fifteen miles south west to Brentford for the 2014/2015 season after previous loan spells at Swindon Town and Peterborough United. He made forty five appearances and found the back of the net twelve times for the Bees, reaching the EFL Championship playoff semi-finals.
Spells at West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and Huddersfield Town would make up the next five years of his career before he made his way to the Stadium of Light in 2021/2022, with Sunderland winning promotion back to the second tier for the first time in four years. Pritchard would stay with us for another season and a half, making ninety nine appearances and scoring nine goals along the way.
He would follow Tony Mowbray to Birmingham City before ending up in Turkey, where he played for Sivasspor during the 2024/2025 season. He is currently a free agent as of October 2026.
