Former Oxford United stars Dean Whitehead and Sam Ricketts will have another season in the Premier League.

Both were on the brink of relegation into the Championship, but Newcastle’s defeat at Aston Villa yesterday condemned Alan Shearer’s side to the drop, keeping Whitehead’s Sunderland and Ricketts’s Hull in the top-flight.

Sunderland lost 3-2 at home to Chelsea, while Hull were beaten 1-0 at home to a Manchester United reserve team.

It was mixed news for other ex-U’s players over the weekend, with Andy Crosby helping Scunthorpe back into the Championship with victory over a Millwall side containing Chris Hackett in the League One play-off final at Wembley yesterday.

On Saturday, Simon King played his part as Gillingham beat Shrewsbury, managed by Paul Simpson, in the League Two play-off final.