John Swift was forced to watch from the substitutes bench for the majority of Saturday’s match as West Brom lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough

The 28-year-old player was not present during West Brom’s 1-1 draw with Stoke City, as Carlos Corberan explained to Birmingham Live that Swift was sidelined due to calf and hamstring injuries experienced in training. Despite being declared injury-free, Swift was benched for the match against Boro. Corberan later revealed positive scan results, indicating no hamstring injury and improved calf condition. Swift, having undergone individual training, was deemed ready to join the squad for the Middlesbrough game.

In retrospect, it is evident that Swift should have been included in the starting lineup, given West Brom’s subpar performance with only two shots on target and an xG of 0.35. Despite entering the game in the 73rd minute, replacing the underperforming Jed Wallace, Swift’s decent display wasn’t sufficient to impact the match significantly. His stats included an 82% successful pass rate, 100% tackles won, four recoveries, and a 67% success rate in ground duels.

As West Brom’s joint-top scorer this season alongside Brandon Thomas-Asante (6 goals), Swift could have made a more substantial impact if given a starting role rather than appearing in the final 20 minutes. The loss to Middlesbrough has brought West Brom closer to dropping out of playoff contention, with teams like Watford, Norwich City, Sunderland, Cardiff, and Middlesbrough all in close proximity. The defeat has also widened the gap to 16 points from the automatic promotion spots, diminishing West Brom’s chances despite a promising start to the season.