Sunderland's League One rivals sack manager after dramatic defeat

The Brewers confirmed on Tuesday evening that they had opted to part company with manager Jake Buxton, who succeeded Nigel Clough at the Pirelli Stadium over the summer.

That decision came after Burton were beaten 4-3 by fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic in a game in which Albion took the lead on three occasions – only to see Will Keane’s late goal sentence them to a 12th defeat of the season.

Elsewhere in League One, Blackpool and Gillingham both missed the chance to leapfrog Sunderland as they fell to surprising defeats.

Blackpool, who are perched just a point beneath the Black Cats in the third tier table, were beaten 1-0 at Shrewsbury Town thanks to Daniel Udoh’s first-half effort.

Meanwhile, Gillingham fell to a 3-1 defeat against Northampton – who face Sunderland on Saturday. The Cobblers claimed victory thanks to a Sam Hoskins penalty and strikes from Danny Rose and Alan Sheehan, with Kyle Dempsey’s free-kick only a consolation.

The results see Lee Johnson’s side remain 11th in the third tier table – four points off the play-off places and seven points away from the top two.

There were also wins for Oxford United and MK Dons during a depleted midweek fixture programme, where seven of the scheduled twelve fixtures were postponed.

The U’s were 3-2 winners over Plymouth Argyle, while Cameron Jerome’s brace helped the Dons to a 4-1 win at Swindon Town.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor:

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of SAFC coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor