Oxford United, ahead of Saturday’s daunting trip to Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland, could take some belief from of their previous performances against the Championship’s big hitters.
The U’s flew out of the blocks back in England’s second tier, defeating Norwich City 2-0 on the opening weekend.
Promotion-chasing Burnley and West Bromwich Albion then went head-to-head with Des Buckingham’s outfit and left the Kassam Stadium with only a point apiece. A last-gasp header from Tottenham Hotspur loanee Dane Scarlet denied The Baggies last weekend.
But, seven days on and having left their home comforts for the cavernous Stadium of Light, Oxford became the latest team batted aside by a Sunderland outfit who continue to resemble a runaway train smashing through every single barrier placed in front of them.
No Anthony Patterson? No problem.
Sunderland barely gave Oxford a sniff against back-up goalkeeper Simon Moore, with Jobe Bellingham’s towering header and a sumptuous Wilson Isidor volley producing a 2-0 scoreline which flattered Buckingham’s visitors more than it did Le Bris’ dominant hosts.
Zenit St Petersburg loanee Isidor continues to thrive in England’s North West, with four goals in six starts now.
Oxford boss hails Wilson Isidor finish after Sunderland win
“It’s a top team. They are in top form at the moment,” Buckingham reflected, speaking to BBC Radio Oxford at full-time.
“We can try and set ourselves up to come here and do what we can but when you come up against a team like that, [a defeat] can happen.”
The Oxford boss admits that, while his team did give away possession cheaply in the build-up to Isidor’s clincher, the Zenit St Petersburg loanee’s finish was one to be admired.
Furthermore, Buckingham sees no reason why Sunderland will endure a repeat of last season’s dropoff, having accumulated 28 points from a possible 36 so far.
“We’ve welcomed at the Kassam, West Brom, and Burnley. Two teams who, for me, [will finish] similar to where Sunderland will be at the end of the year,” adds Buclingham. “This league at home makes a big difference. Being away, it can be like a different country at times.
“[Sunderland] are top of the table for a reason.
“The first [goal] was a rotation down our left, which we didn’t manage. A cross into the box caught us. And then, the second one, we got caught trying to play out. And even then, you can’t take too much away from the strike.
“To get that type of finish, with the ball being played over your shoulder, it’s a wonderful finish.”
Left-back Ciaran Brown could not cope with Sunderland’s Patrick Roberts
Left-back Ciaran Brown, meanwhile, will have breathed a sigh of relief at full-time. The Northern Ireland international was finally put out of his misery by the referee’s whistle, having been given the runaround by a winger in Patrick Roberts, who justified his re-call.
Roberts was dropped to the bench as Sunderland beat Rob Edwards’ Luton Town 2-1 at Kenilworth Road in midweek.
That, followed up by the vanquishing of Oxford, takes Sunderland six closer to what Le Bris feels may be a promotion-securing tally of 80-plus.
“They are a very good team. They are where they are for a reason,” Brown sighs.”But we were nowhere near it today, and they capitalised on it. A poor performance from us today.
“It just didn’t click today. There’s got to be some credit to them; they are a very good team and made it really difficult for us. But I don’t think we helped ourselves at times.
“[It was] a bit of a sucker punch to concede the goal in the way that we did. It takes the wind out of our sails and we were always fighting uphill then.”
