Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light for the second time this week to try and make amends following that 5-1 hammering at the hands of Blackburn. The Black Cats take on Bristol City on Saturday afternoon, the side who have conceded the fourth least goals in the Championship this season. Given our troubles scoring goals (and defending them), we could be in for another interesting encounter. Just two points separate the teams but, as shown by Easter Monday’s thumping, the league table can be very misleading. Here are five Bristol City players to keep an eye on this weekend…
ROB DICKIE:
A name that some Sunderland supporters may recognise from that unpleasant period in League One. Rob Dickie racked up 76 appearances for Oxford United between 2018 and 2020 and has since made the step-up to the Championship with ease. In fact, the central-defender is even Bristol City’s second-joint top scorer this season, with five league goals. If you were unsure- that’s still more than any of Sunderland’s four strikers combined (Rusyn, Burstow, Hemir, Mayenda)! Before joining the Robins last summer, Dickie was a massive part of the QPR defence. He won Supporters’ Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the year and Goal of the Season. At 6 '4, Dickie is an extremely physical defender and, as we all know by how little the ball was on the ground in League One, Dickie is powerful in aerial battles. Sunderland must be much more effective in attack if we want to trouble a defender of Dickie’s quality!
JASON KNIGHT:
So far Jason Knight has earned 28 international caps for the Republic of Ireland. The central-midfielder has played in every single one, all 40, of Bristol City’s Championship fixtures so far this campaign. I can’t remember any Sunderland outfield player going that long without getting injured or suspended! Like Dickie, Knight arrived at Ashton Gate last summer and has proved to be another excellent signing- I think Kristjaan Speakman should take notes! The midfielder signed from Derby County, where he had been since the age of 16. Knight made 150 appearances for The Rams and was handed his first captaincy by Wayne Rooney in the same season that they avoided relegation by just a single point. In terms of play-style, Knight generally operates as the more creative option in a midfield partnership, usually with either Matty James or Joe Williams. He has registered seven goal contributions in 2023/24, scoring four and setting up three. If Sunderland want to avoid shipping five at home again (which for our sanity, if not our goal difference, we should) then we need to seriously limit Knight’s touches of the ball.
SCOTT TWINE:
A player who had previously been heavily linked with a move to Sunderland. Scott Twine first gained major recognition for his exceptional performances for Milton Keynes Dons in 2021/22. Twine joined the side on a free transfer and became only the second MK Dons player in history to score four goals in one game. The first was Will Grigg, who is not a particularly welcome topic of conversation on Wearside. Grigg’s transfer did make for entertaining viewing on Netflix although Stewart Donald may disagree! Twine was named Young Player of the Year and Player of the Year at MK Dons’ end of season awards. In the two years following his departure, the attacking playmaker has represented Burnley, Hull and Bristol City. He was sidelined for several months after a £4 million move to Burnley, where he is still on loan from. Twine scored a header on his debut for the Robins against Watford. The midfielder knows how to strike a ball from range and after that defensive display against Blackburn, if you can even call it that, Twine will pose Sunderland a threat.
ANIS MEHMETI:
Anis Mehmeti continues the trend of all four players making their name in League One prior to earning Championship moves. Mehmeti, like Twine, plays in the attacking-third. He is versatile and can operate anywhere across the front three but usually features as a winger. The Albanian played for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy, before joining Norwich City in 2017. He joined Wycombe Wanderers in 2020 after the introduction of a ‘B Team’ programme with the Chairboys. Mehmeti, who is capped three times internationally, caught the attention of Championship clubs after impressive performances for Wycombe’s first-team. They received a club-record fee from Bristol City for his services in January 2023. Since joining, Mehmeti probably hasn’t registered as many goal contributions as he would have liked. This season, he has scored four times in 32 appearances. However, his pace and ability to turn with speed could be difficult to deal with. Tyrhys Dolan had a great time for Blackburn on Easter Monday and I think the Sunderland defenders will struggle with Mehmeti just as much this weekend.
TOMMY CONWAY:
Leaving the best till last, as the 21-year-old striker is The Robin's most prolific scorer this season. Tommy Conway has scored seven league goals and, given his age, he is destined for a bright future in football. Like most teams in the Championship, Bristol City typically set-up with a lone-striker and Conway is the man that they rely on for goals. Three of his seven league goals have come from the penalty spot, though. Of course, it doesn’t matter how the ball goes in the net and, after Monday’s antics, a player of Conway’s calibre must be licking his lips looking at the Sunderland back-line. He is a Scotland U21 international and scored an equalising goal in an FA Cup tie with West Ham at the London Stadium earlier in the season. Conway will certainly be aiming to replicate Sammie Szmodics’ clinical finishing on Wearside.
OVERVIEW:
Major improvements are needed after that abomination against Rovers last time at the Stadium of Light. I think it could be a case of going back to basics, as we got the simple parts of the game wrong on Monday. At home and with nothing to lose, we should be aiming for nothing less than a victory. Hopefully, Jack Clarke plays from the start and then it could be Bristol City worrying about conceding five and not Sunderland!
