Tony Mowbray makes Tom Fellows blunder – West Brom confirmed XI v Leeds United
Tony Mowbray has made two changes to his West Brom starting line-up ahead of the game against Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday.
Going into the game on the back of a 2-0 win against Oxford United, West Brom will be looking to cause an upset over the Championship table-toppers on 1 March.
All seven teams the Baggies have faced under Mowbray since his return are currently placed below them in the table, meaning the manager has the chance to test himself against the best for Albion once again.
The West Midlands outfit have to be firing on all cylinders to leave Elland Road with a positive result as Daniel Farke and Co have won each of their last five league games, earning consecutive wins against promotion Sunderland and Sheffield United in their last two outings.
Mowbray gets it wrong with starting John Swift
One of the two changes that Mowbray has made is dropping Tom Fellows to start John Swift after his goalscoring performance against Oxford last Saturday, 22 February.
While it is easy to see why the veteran manager has awarded Swift for his display against Oxford, drafting Fellows to the bench could come back to haunt in West Yorkshire.
Swift has just two goals to his name from 30 Championship appearances this season, while Fellows has 11 assists to add to it.
| Date | Competition | Result | Score |
| 18 August 2023 | Championship | Draw | 1-1 |
| 23 May 2021 | Premier League | Loss | 1-3 |
| 1 October 2019 | Championship | Loss | 0-1 |
| 1 March 2019 | Championship | Loss | 0-4 |
| 20 January 2007 | Championship | Win | 3-2 |
Furthermore, Mowbray’s habit of drafting Fellows in and out of the team does not allow the 21-year-old to find form.
The attacker was notably dropped from the starting line-up for games against Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall after Plymouth and Blackburn respectively.
It is also worth noting that this will be Swift’s first start in the Championship since the 2-1 defeat against Plymouth on 1 March.
It is hard to say if starting him at a ground where West Brom have not won since 2007 is a good decision.
Kyle Bartley comes in for Semi Ajayi
Meanwhile, Mowbray has replaced Semi Ajayi with Kyle Bartley in defence in his other change.
Looking at the whole line-up, Joe Wildsmith keeps his place in goal, with Darnell Furlong, Bartley, Torbjorn Heggem and Callum Styles forming the back four.
Alex Mowatt scored the opener against Oxford and continues alongside Jayson Molumby as the double-pivot pairing, while Isaac Price plays further ahead with Swift and Mikey Johnston flanking him.
Winter arrival Adam Armstrong, meanwhile, leads the line once again as Mowbray opts to keep Will Lankshear on the bench.