Jed Wallace woeful, Ollie Bostock truly arrives – West Brom player ratings vs Oxford United

Ollie Bostock was the only bright spark in West Brom’s disappointing 2-1 loss to Oxford United at Kassam Stadium on Saturday.

Stanley Mills and Will Lankshear gave the hosts a 2-0, with both forwards scoring headers from set-piece situations.

Bostock pulled one back for the visitors with a deflected long-range strike in the 33rd minute, but they failed to break down Oxford United’s defence in the second half.

The result leaves West Brom in 21st place, and while very few of the players performed, Jed Wallace was particularly poor against Matt Bloomfield’s side.

West Brom stats vs Oxford United.
Credit: Manh Tung – Breaking Media/Sofascore

Jed Wallace completely out of his depth vs Oxford United

Wallace has been impressive at times for West Brom after arriving from Millwall in June 2022.

However, after rarely featuring under Ryan Mason, he was given a chance to prove his worth under Eric Ramsay, and now James Morrison.

It’s safe to say that he failed to make an impact on the right wing against Oxford United, and with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, this sort of performance won’t do him any favours if he wants to stay at The Hawthorns.

The 31-year-old was booked in the 36th minute for a bad foul on Jack Currie, and he was left frustrated throughout the match.

StatWallace
Minutes played75
Chances created0
Accurate crosses0%
Passes in final third4
Touches in opposition box2
Wallace’s stats vs Oxford United (via Sofascore)

According to Sofascore, he won 25 per cent of his ground duels and 14 per cent of his aerial duels, and all in all, it was a pitiful display from the winger.

Ollie Bostock provides hope for the future

Bostock’s performance was a huge contrast, as he was brilliant after coming on for the injured Mikey Johnston in the 22nd minute.

The 19-year-old scored the winning penalty in West Brom’s FA Cup third-round penalty shootout win over Swansea in January, and fans have been calling for him to start ever since.

While his introduction to the game came at Johnston’s expense, he was impressive on the left wing and sent out a message to Morrison that he should be one of the first names on the team sheet.

StatBostock
Minutes played68
Goals1
Pass accuracy79%
Shots3
Touches45
Bostock’s stats vs Oxford United (via Sofascore)

Although he was aided by a deflection to score his first senior goal, his endeavour and hard work shouldn’t go unnoticed, and it’s shameful that West Brom’s youngest player on the pitch is the only one showing some character.

The Sofascore stats above show how influential he was against Oxford United, and it’s clear that he provides a much bigger threat than the majority of West Brom’s more experienced attacking players.

Oliver Bostock's West Brom stats.
Credit: Imago

This was a deeply worrying afternoon for West Brom, and all the players have been rated below for their performance at Kassam Stadium.

West Brom player ratings vs Swansea City

Max O’Leary – 3

George Campbell – 4 (75′)

Krystian Bielik – 5

Charlie Taylor – 3

Callum Styles – 4

Alex Mowatt – 5

Jayson Molumby – 4

Jed Wallace – 2

Isaac Price – 3 (64′)

Mikey Johnston – 4 (22′)

Josh Maja – 3 (64′)

Substitutes:

Ollie Bostock – 7 (subbed on in 22nd minute)

Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba – 4(subbed on in 64th minute)

Daryl Dike – 3 (subbed on in 64th minute)

Danny Imray – 4(subbed on in 75th minute)

Aune Heggebo – 4 (subbed on in 75th minute)

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