Fan Focus: Oxford fan Simon is predicting a score draw between the U’s and Sunderland

Currently sat in mid-table, Oxford appear to be adapting well to life in the Championship

How would you summarise your start?

During the summer, most Oxford fans were quietly confident that we were much better than the ‘24th place and winless all season’ tag many commentators had given us before we’d kicked a ball.

Our recruitment was excellent and it wouldn’t have taken a lot of digging to see the 24th place prediction was quite unfair.

Having said that, I don’t think any fan thought we’d win our first three home games and would enter November unbeaten at home.

With a history of coaching in New Zealand and India, many fans may not have heard of Des Buckingham.

How did he come to manage Oxford, and how’s he got on?

Des is a boyhood Oxford United fan. He got onto the coaching staff at age eighteen in the mid 2000’s and was part of Chris Wilder’s first team coaching staff in the 2013/2014 season.

He left Oxford to go abroad and pursue a career in football coaching using a different and unusual route. He did very well in every job he held, some of which were for the City Group.

His name got bigger and bigger every season in the minds of Oxford fans, and when Liam Manning unexpectedly left for Bristol City, he was at the top of most of our lists.

I don’t think he got the job because he’s an Oxford fan, but winning a playoff final in his first season was just something special.

Oxford are unbeaten at home but are yet to win on the road this season.

What have been your key troubles away from home?

At times, sloppy errors have cost us away from home. We were leading at Blackburn and Bristol City, but let ourselves down with mistakes.

We should really have beaten Luton, and Siriki Dembele was one-on-one to make it 2-1 against Pompey late on, but he put the shot over.

I’m sure the win is coming, and hopefully soon!

The club invested in the summer, with Siriki Dembele breaking your record transfer fee, as well as the arrivals of experienced heads such as Matt Phillips and Will Vaulks.

How have your new signings got on so far?

Dembele was given a ‘lazy’ tag by Birmingham fans, who I think were just a bit sore that he was one of many players who struggled in a terrible environment last season.

His turn of pace is very threatening, although it looks like he may be injured this weekend.

Matt Phillips is also injured too and Vaulks has had an OK start to the season, but has produced a couple of costly errors.

Photo by Cameron Howard/Getty Images

Oxford also dipped into the loan market, with Dane Scarlett, Malcolm Ebiowei and Ben Nelson all arriving from the Premier League.

Who’s has impressed so far?

Ben Nelson looks very good- a future star, for sure.

Ebiowei has been in and out of the side, but there’s certainly a player there.

Scarlett had a quiet start but has now burst onto the scene and scored three times in the last week, one being a very classy finish against Derby.

Aside from your new players, who else should Sunderland be wary of?

A lot of our threat has come from players who were already here, with Mark Harris and Tyler Goodrham being the standouts.

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Sunderland midfielder Jay Matete’s loan spell at Oxford last season was cut short due to injury.

How would you summarise his time there from the games he did play?

It certainly looked like there could be a great player there, and we were excited to get him, but his time here was just too short to provide a proper analysis.

How do you think Buckingham will set up tactically at the Stadium of Light?

It’s hard to say as we have an injury crisis at the moment, which may play into his thinking.

He’ll probably try to slow the game down, play out from the back and accept that we won’t have a lot of possession, but to be effective when we do.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Are any players missing and who do you expect to start?

Loads!

Brannagan, Phillips, Edwards, Placheta and Dale are all out. It looks like Dembele could be as well.

I think Cumming in goal, a back four of Brown, Nelson, Moore and Kioso. McEachran in front (I think he’ll drop Vaulks), Goodrham, Rodriguez, El Mizouni, Ebiowei, and either Scarlett or Harris up front.

Sunderland are unbeaten in five matches against Oxford.

What’s your prediction for the final score?

I can’t possibly predict a loss, but it’s going to be a very tough afternoon for Oxford.

I’ll happily take a 1-1 draw now!