Mike Dodds joins Oxford United ahead of FA Cup tie with Sunderland | OneFootball

Sunderland will face a familiar figure in the FA Cup fourth round next month, after former coach Mike Dodds joined Oxford United’s backroom staff.

The club said in a statement that Matt Bloomfield will be supported by existing staff, with Dodds appointed assistant head coach alongside Ben Cirne, and that Dodds joins immediately.

Dodds, 39, spent four years at the Stadium of Light after arriving in 2021, playing a key role under several coaches and serving a spell as interim head coach.

He left partway through last season to become Wycombe Wanderers boss during their League One promotion push. They finished in the play-offs but lost to Charlton Athletic in the semi-finals, with Charlton later winning promotion at Wembley.

After that setback, Dodds described it as a harsh lesson and vowed to use the pain as motivation for the following campaign.

Wycombe dismissed him in September, with the Chairboys 19th in the table at the time.

Sunderland visit Oxford on the weekend of Saturday, February 14th. The tie is a repeat of the 1992 fourth round, which the Black Cats won 3-2 before reaching the final at Wembley later in the year.

Source: Sunderland Echo