GEORGE DOBSON moved to Sunderland with the aim of improving both on and off the field.

The midfielder signed a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light, after a fee was finally agreed with Walsall.

Dobson has spent time in Holland and started out at West Ham before moving to Wearside.

He played 90 minutes in the opening day draw with Oxford, but his errant pass helped the visitors score the opening goal.

After speaking last week of the willingness to adapt to life in the North-East and move away from his comfort zone, the midfielder is also looking to make his mark in the Black Cats’ midfield.

“Competition’s part and parcel of the game - of course that doesn’t faze me,’’ he insisted.

“There are quality players here – you look at how good a career Grant (Leadbitter)’s had and you’ve got Dylan (McGeouch) and Max (Power), they’re very good football players.

“Playing with better players is only going to make me better so I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”

With a number of young players with plenty of games behind them at the club, Dobson has over 100 first-team to his name aged 21, he hopes to emulate Luke O’Nien who stepped up from Wycombe last season to become a mainstay of Jack Ross’ side.

Dobson admitted: “I’ve spoken to Luke a few times since I’ve been here and he said he struggled a little bit at first and then when he got his chance he took it and made around 50 appearances - that’s unbelievable! If I can get anywhere near that I’ll have had a brilliant season.

“I’m just going to try and take it day by day, game by game and try and make myself the best player possible to get as many minutes on the pitch as I can and help the club get as many wins.’’

The Saddlers faced Sunderland in both league and FA Cup last season, with a replay at the Stadium of Light meaning they were regular opposition.

“In a way we (Walsall) were a bit of a bogey team, playing Sunderland four times last season,’’ he mused.

“You’d like to think Jack Ross saw something in me during those games. I was obviously very grateful when I found out the club was interested.

“When it finally got over the line, because it did rumble on for a few weeks, it was a very proud moment for me and my family. I’m just so excited to be here and can’t wait for the whole season, really, because it feels like something special is going to happen.’’

And Dobson saw Sunderland’s away following at their best last season at the Bescot Stadium.

“They scored in the last minute against us to draw 2-2 and that was a kick in the teeth,’’ he recalled. “The way the fans celebrated when that equaliser went in was unbelievable.

“The fans are brilliant up here, they travel home and away in their numbers and I feel like they’ve had a few years of things not going their way so this can hopefully be the season that we change the fortunes and get the club back in a positive direction.’’