IT might not have been the central-defensive line-up he envisaged at the start of the season, either in terms of formation or personnel, but in the current pairing of Jordan Willis and Alim Ozturk, Sunderland manager Jack Ross feels he has hit on the ideal blend of reliability and resolve.

Having come together for the Carabao Cup win at Accrington Stanley, Willis and Ozturk will play alongside each other for the fourth game in a row when AFC Wimbledon travel to the Stadium of Light this afternoon.

It is a marked change from the opening two fixtures, when Willis was flanked by Tom Flanagan and Conor McLaughlin in a three centre-half system that proved to be flawed.

The switch back to a conventional back four has helped make Sunderland more solid, with Ozturk’s return to the starting line-up also helping to shore things up. The Turk added a physical presence to the Black Cats’ backline in the closing stages of last season, and has picked up where he left off at the end of the previous campaign.

“Alim gives us that real old-fashioned part of defending, and we could maybe still do with another option in that way,” said Ross. “I think we’ve seen in the last couple of games, that in the latter part of a game if you’re only winning by one goal, you face that kind of challenge a lot in League One.

“It’s not just League One actually, I think the Championship would be the same, you come under pressure late in games and you have to defend your box, and to be able to defend your box, you need that strength defensively, and Alim gives us that.

“I think he’s thrived alongside Jordan at the moment, and that’s credit to Alim as well. If you look back over the recent number of games he’s played, his performance level has been pretty good.

“He’s played against some good strikers in that time. He’s played against John Marquis for Doncaster and Portsmouth, played against Lyle Taylor in the play-off final, and played against (Ollie) Hawkins at Portsmouth who is a different type again. He’s played against strikers that are proven in League One and beyond, and done well in all those games. He can take confidence from that.”

His partnership with Willis has bedded in nicely, with Ozturk providing the kind of rugged physicality that is often required in League One while his partner offers a more polished reading of the game and a greater degree of comfort in possession.

“I think what Jordan brings is a good help to Alim,” said Ross. “Jordan has qualities that we felt as if we needed in a central defender this year. That’s why we were so keen to pursue him, and I think he’s helped Alim in that regard, and so far they’ve worked well together.

“I’m a bit frustrated that we haven’t kept a clean sheet because I think generally they’ve defended pretty well. That last part is just still to come, and if they do that, they’ll get their rewards. I’ve been pleased with them, and in the games they’ve played together, they’ve done well.”

The success of their partnership has seen Jack Baldwin completely ostracised, and despite being an influential figure for the majority of last season, the former Hartlepool centre-half is expected to leave before the League One transfer window closes on September 2.

“If we were to strengthen ourselves defensively, and Jack found his opportunities limited, players should want to play football and it would be remiss of me (to keep him),” said Ross. “You have to back your judgement a bit. You can’t not select a player and feel as if somebody else should not have the right to select them.”

Sunderland (probable, 4-2-3-1): J McLaughlin; O’Nien, Willis, Ozturk, C McLaughlin; Leadbitter, Power; Gooch, Maguire, McGeady; Wyke.