John Swift proves the cream of the crop for West Brom in 2-1 win v Norwich City
West Brom kept their faint Championship playoff hopes alive with a crucial 2-1 win over Norwich City at The Hawthorns on Saturday [29 April].
The Baggies came from behind after Josh Sargent had scored a superb opening goal that momentarily revived Norwich’s own flickering chances of sneaking into the top six.
Conor Townsend levelled with a brilliant curling free-kick before half-time and also turned provider setting up the vital Wallace strike in the second half in what was a tremendous individual performance from the left-back.
The result means the Baggies stay just two points off the last playoff spot and still need either Coventry to lose or Millwall to fail to win on what promises to be a tense final day, while they travel to Swansea knowing nothing less than three points will give them a chance.
It was a terrific victory for Carlos Corberan and his men, especially when their promotion hopes looked a distant and impossible feat a few weeks ago, and while all the talk will be about the performances of the likes of Conor Townsend and Brandon Thomas-Asante who both played a crucial part in Wallace’s opener.
Corberan will have in fact been delighted by the performance of his key creative magician John Swift who absolutely ran the shown against the Canaries on Saturday.
The former Reading man may not have registered a goal or an assist but his influence and creativity were clearly evident when West Brom desperately needed it.
Out of all players in the Sky Bet Championship this season, the 27-year-old maestro has averaged the second-most key passes at a rate of 2.4 per game [WhoScored]. He also ranks amongst the best players in the English second division for shot-creating actions [FBRef].
And his underlying stats against Norwich once again highlighted how crucial he is to Corberan’s men as he exerted the brilliance of his all-round game.
As per SofaScore, Swift recorded 66 touches, successfully completed 29 of his 35 passes at a rate of 83% which is impressive considering the risk at which he plays in the no.10 position, he also successfully completed five of his eight long balls, completed three of his four dribbles and registered a whopping seven key passes.
That’s not all, the former Chelsea academy product was brilliant in his defensive efforts too, winning eight of his total duels and won two fouls in a complete and dominant playmaking performance.
The destiny of West Brom’s promotion hopes may not be in their hands against Swansea on the final day, but they certainly need a win all the same and one man who remains central and absolutely crucial to their faint hopes will be the irresistible Swift.
In other West Brom news, a first-team player could be out until June if his injury return goes to plan, according to an injury expert.