OPPOSITION VIEW: OXFORD

With Sunderland heading to the Kassam Stadium for some FA Cup action, we spoke to Simon Hathaway from the Fence End Podcast about how their Championship season is going and whether they'll stay up...

Oxford are second-bottom in the Championship, only above the doomed Sheffield Wednesday. What's gone wrong after finishing 17th last season?

Summer recruitment wasn't great, and a pre-season tour of Indonesia (where our owners are from) disrupted the overall pre-season preparations, and we've been playing catch-up a bit from that poor start. Injuries haven't helped us either.

Did you expect this to happen? At the start of the season was the aim purely to avoid relegation?

It was always going to be a tough second season, and avoiding the drop will be a successful season. The promoted teams from League One, especially Birmingham and Wrexham, were able to spend big to get back up, so it's probably harder than last time.

Thoughts on Matt Bloomfield in the dugout?

A little bit too early to tell. His first two games were 0-0 and they were the first clean sheets since mid October. A win at Leicester and a draw at Coventry show that there's something there, but a very poor performance on Tuesday against Norwich, where he changed the formation, with players seemingly out of position, wasn't great. He needs to find a formation, and a plan, and stick to it.

Will Lankshear is your top scorer with six goals in the league, what kind of player is he?

He's a bit of an old fashioned centre forward - big, mobile, not afraid of a challenge, but also a good finisher. He's still young and learning, and against Coventry got sent off for two yellows, the first for dissent, the second for a silly barge on a defender. It's perhaps frustration as he's not getting a lot of chances, but he's got a lot of potential.

Who else should we be wary of on Sunday?

Miles Peart-Harris (bought from Brentford) looks a good January addition, and can play across the front line. Jeon Jin-woo looked good in his first appearance on Tuesday since joining us from South Korea, he's another forward who can play across the front line.

Will Oxford field a full-strength 11 or will rotation come into play?

I would expect some changes, bringing in some of the players that haven't started recently, but injuries mean the squad is a little bit short, so not a new 11 that's for sure...

When you beat us 2-0 in April 2025, did you ever think Sunderland would now be in this position?!

I thought they could be. They have the momentum built up from getting out of L1, and summer recruitment seems to have been good, so not a massive surprise. (Thank you for those three points though, they were needed!)

Have you watched much of SAFC this season? Which players have stood out most to you?

I've not seen much to be honest, but Xhaka is a leader, and a player you hate if he's in the opposition, but love if he's yours!

With Regis Le Bris expected to field a number of fringe players, how are you feeling ahead of the game?

As long as there is an improvement in the performance from midweek, then I think the fans will accept that it might not be a win. We just want to see a bit of fight from the team, without the pressure of league points at stake, and you never know what might happen in a cup game.

Are you going to the match?

Yes, I'll be there.

Where would you recommend for Sunderland fans to grab pre-match food and drink?

There's not much around the ground that's especially exciting - a sports bar and Frankie and Benny's right by the ground. If you have time, the centre of Oxford is a great place for historic pubs, or the Cowley road for lots of food choices. There are lots of buses running towards the stadium. The pies and coffee in the ground are quite good though if time is limited.

What's your score prediction? Goalscorers?

Heart says a giant killing, but head says a Sunderland win would be the bookies favourite result. 1-1 and take it to penalties!

Finally, where do you think we'll both finish in our respective leagues?

Avoiding relegation is still possible for us, but we need to improve, but I'm an optimist, so 21st (fingers and toes crossed). Sunderland finishing mid-table would be a good first season back, so 10/11th.