'Not concerned at all' - Oxford United boss Gary Rowett delivers bullish verdict ahead of Sunderland clash

Oxford United head coach Gary Rowett has urged his side to “take care of business” when they host Sunderland in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

The U’s currently find themselves 19th in the Championship table, just three points clear of the relegation zone with two matches left to play having dropped points in consecutive outings over the Easter weekend.

A 1-0 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Leeds United was followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw against fellow struggles Cardiff City, and both results were compounded by the fact that Hull City, Derby County, Luton Town, and Plymouth Argyle all won on Easter Monday.

What has Oxford United boss Gary Rowett said about his side’s clash with Sunderland?

But despite those setbacks, Rowett remains bullish over his side’s ability to beat the drop this season. As quoted by the This Is Oxfordshire, he said: “I’m not concerned at all. I think this squad is full of character. When it shows the quality, I think we’ve got good quality.

“I think we’ve shown at home we’re more than a match for any team. Every game is in isolation. I would’ve taken a point out of the game [against Cardiff] before, which more or less means there are a couple of teams that are unlikely to catch us, but all the other teams won, so we’ve got to go and take care of business at the weekend.”

He added: “Hopefully we’ll perform a little bit better. That’s the key. It’s focusing on the performance rather than getting caught in the moment of a season. We know that. That’s not going to change. It’s about us making sure we’ve got a little bit more intensity about our play at the weekend, and quality.”

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What else has been said about Oxford United’s clash with Sunderland?

Likewise, Oxford midfielder Cameron Brannagan has insisted that he and his teammates are capable of registering a positive result on Saturday afternoon against Sunderland, despite the two sides being separated by 15 leagues positions and 27 points. He said: “These games are never pretty to be honest. You’re fighting for your lives playing against some top opposition. There’s no easy game in this league. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ve got something out of the game.

“Our focus now is on Saturday. We’ve got to raise the roof and I’m sure we will. We’ll be fired up more than anything. It’s still in our hands and we’ve got a massive game on Saturday. Let’s go and raise the roof, and get a result on Saturday.

“This is the Championship. Everybody can beat anyone on their day. Our focus is on Saturday now. There are no easy games in this league. The Championship is relentless. There are some top teams, and everybody is fighting for their lives at the bottom. You’ve just got to dig in there and try to get the right results. We’ve taken a point, and we can only put that right on Saturday, and hopefully get the win.”

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