Greg Halford has revealed how former Reading teammate John Oster urged him to join Sunderland this season.

"I spoke to Oster before I came up but it was pretty much a done deal before I even spoke to him," he said. "I knew I was going to come up here but he confirmed what I was thinking.

"I firmly believe we have a better team than Reading did last season. To be signed by Roy Keane is a massive compliment. He was the main reason why I came and signed for Sunderland."