Fond memories of Sunderland for Dons striker Wickham

onnor Wickham’s four-year spell as a Sunderland player is one he looks back on fondly, but hopes to bite the hand which once fed him when he returns as an MK Dons player on Saturday.

The 28-year-old made 91 appearance in total for the Black Cats between June 2011 and August 2014, having made the switch from Ipswich Town for a fee of £8 million.

Embroiled in a few relegation scraps while at the Stadium of Light, he also spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United, and it was his spell at Elland Road which sparked one of his best times at Sunderland.

“The biggest memory of Sunderland for me is what they called the Great Escape,” he said. “I was on loan at Leeds, I'd only been there a few weeks, but they called me to ask me back because Sunderland wanted me to start at the weekend away at Liverpool. I just said ‘See you in the morning!’

“Leeds was a massive club, with so much history, but I went back and all of a sudden I was starting at Anfield!

“My time at Sunderland was really good to be honest, I really enjoyed it. The team I went into had so much experience and quality. It was a great experience for a young player to have going into that dressing room.

“And I think that's what I can offer to the squad here - at 28 I'm still the third oldest in the squad!”

While it’s a time he remembers fondly, Dons fans may remember Wickham’s time at Sunderland slightly less favourably. In August 2013, Wickham had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes before Izale McLeod made it 2-0 in the League Cup second round at the Stadium of Light, following Patrick Bamford’s first half opener.

After Jozy Altidore gave Sunderland a lifeline with 11 minutes to go, Dons appeared to be heading towards a giant-killing before Wickham netted a brace in the final three minutes.

H e said: “I was blowing at the time, and we were losing. I was knackered and thought ‘I'm just going to shoot!’ and it took a deflection I think.

“At the time, it was a game, as a Sunderland player, we needed to win. We had a Premier League reputation at the time, but the tables have turned and now I'm trying to get three points off them.”

Knowing the club as he does, Wickham says he knows full-well what Dons will be in for when they arrive at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, but said he cannot wait.

“I've experienced the atmosphere, the fans, I know how passionate they are and their expectations,” he added. “They're in a transitional period with their new manager, and there is a lot of noise going on off the pitch but going back there will be fantastic. It's a game I'm really looking forward to.

“Looking at the league, there are some massive teams, teams who shouldn't really be here but that's the way it is. We're among the teams people would consider a big fixture now, and that's a credit to us and the work the boys have put in.”