
'I'm not concerned at all'
Oxford United boss Gary Rowett has said that he is "not concerned at all" regarding his side's precarious position near the bottom of the Championship table. With two games remaining the U's are three points above the league's bottom three and know that if they can better Luton or Derby's result on Saturday then they can confirm Championship safety. They have won two of their last five league games and on Monday snatched a point away at Cardiff City thanks to a thunderbolt of a strike by midfielder Cameron Brannagan. "I'm not concerned at all, the squad is full of character," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford."We have shown that at home we are more than a match for any team, every game is in isolation and we have to go and take care of business next weekend."There are twists and turns and there will be all kinds of movements, we have a home game next and if we win that then it's all over isn't it."Hopefully we'll perform a bit better. We need to focus on the performance and not get caught up in the moment of the season, we need to have a bit more intensity and quality about our play at the weekend."The U's face Sunderland at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, while Luton - who are three points below them and occupy 22nd - take on sixth-placed Coventry. With Sunderland being comfortably fourth in the division and a play-off spot confirmed two weeks ago, the Black Cats have lost each of their last three games. Derby - who are also three points below Oxford - face Hull City in another huge game at the bottom of the table.

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