Oxford United midfielder on 'tough' Sunderland test ahead of League One play-off fight

And U’s midfielder James Henry is not underplaying the importance of this week to Oxford United with his side also set to face Morecambe on Tuesday night and Sunderland on Saturday.

The midfielder said: “We always knew this was a massive week, there’s no point hiding away from it.

“We knew it was going to be tough, with two long trips.

“We’ve still got two games and if we come out of there with four or six points we’re in a great position.

"This is what you’re in the industry for, this is what makes it exciting and hopefully we can rise to the challenge."

Speaking about the clash against Oxford following the win against Gillingham, Sunderland boss Alex Neil added: "There's a long, long way to go, we've got a lot of big games coming up, but as you can probably tell, I don't get too high about things that happen, and I don't get too low about things that happen either.

"Once it is done, it's done, and I have to plan for the next bit, which is what I'm trying to do right now.

"I don't get ahead of myself.

"We won on Saturday, we did what was required, and I'm really pleased, but this week is really important now as well. It's going to be that snowball effect - every game becomes bigger and bigger,” he added.

The weekend game is set to be played in front of a bumper crowd.

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