West Brom fans blasted over ‘disgraceful’ John Swift incident v Oxford – ‘Morons’
West Brom fans have been arguing among themselves after what happened to John Swift when he came on against Oxford United on Saturday.
The Baggies secured a much-needed three points at The Hawthorns on 22 February after a tough patch of form under Tony Mowbray.
Alex Mowatt gave the home side the lead with an 11th-minute strike before substitute Swift secured the points with a last-gasp strike.
Despite this impact off the bench, the midfielder faced criticism as he came on which certainly divided opinion on the terraces in B71.
West Brom fans boo John Swift v Oxford United
The Englishman hasn’t made much of a positive impact this season which has often seen him relegated to the bench.
The 29-year-old has started in just 14 of his 30 Championship appearances this campaign, mainly being utilised as a substitute to help see out results.
Despite this, it is clear that many supporters don’t rate the former Chelsea youngster who was booed after being brought on against Oxford.
This didn’t go down with large sections of The Hawthorns crowd as one supporter described the fans who engaged in that behaviour as “a disgrace”.
This was echoed by another who referred to those who booed the midfielder as “morons” and was glad to see Swfit score late on to shut those supporters up.
One suggested that this negativity was “boring and draining” which could be having an impact on the side which has struggled at times since Mowbray’s return.
One supporter summed up the feelings of the vast majority of the Baggies faithful, suggesting it was “disgusting” that a home player was subject to that level of abuse from his own fans.
John Swift proves West Brom fans wrong with late goal
The ex-Reading ace clearly has the backing of large sections of the Albion support and shouldn’t let the boos get to him too much.
It doesn’t appear that is the case given that he scored off the bench and was able to keep those jeering quiet for now.
His general performance was positive and it was a good sign to see him link up well with Tammer Bany to grab the second goal of the afternoon, albeit into an open net.
| Stat | John Swift v Oxford United |
| Minutes played | 13 |
| Pass completion (%) | 94% |
| Shot conversion rate (%) | 100% |
| Defensive actions | 2 |
| Duel win rate (%) | 100% |
Swift will be hoping he can utilise this element of negativity to add fuel to his fire and become a more important player under Mowbray as the season goes on.