West Bromwich Albion have suffered another injury blow following the news that John Swift will undergo a scan to assess the extent of a calf injury, according to the Express & Star.
The 28-year-old has been in electric form this season and bagged his sixth goal of the season last night when he gave West Brom an early lead in the West Midlands derby against Birmingham City. However, a controversial penalty midway through the first half brought the Blues level, and the momentum shifted in favour of the home team who eventually emerged with a 3-1 victory.
Manager Carlos Corberan fumed in the aftermath of the game, saying his side ‘competed against more than 11 players’. In an explosive post-match interview, the former Huddersfield Town boss said;
“Second half was better for us, we didn’t score and they counter attack. Their goals – a penalty, a second phase of a set-piece and a free kick. They have accuracy and today we competed against more than just 11 players.”
Although the result is undoubtedly a blow following the Baggies recent excellent form, the news that Swift could be set for a spell on the sidelines will be cause for concern, especially considering his goals have helped propel the team into the upper reaches of the Championship table.
The attacker limped off in the 73rd minute, adding to the ever-growing list of injuries at the Hawthorns. West Brom are already without Daryl Dike, Jeremy Sarmiento and Josh Maja, and Corberan will be hoping that Swift’s scan does not reveal any long-term damage. Addressing the situation last night, he said;
“If I’d have known he was going to get injured, I’d have taken him off and not (Jed) Wallace. In football, you never know. He was fine, nobody asked for the change, and then he suffered an injury in the calf.”
The former England under-21 international will now have two weeks to recover, with Championship football set to take a break for the next round of European Championship qualifiers.
Writer’s View
John Swift has been a key component of the West Brom side this season and his goals have proved to be crucial. They are a club who will be targeting a play-off spot as a minimum this season, but they cannot afford to keep losing attackers to injury. However, if there was ever a right time to pull a muscle, it is just before the international break when there is more time to recover before the next fixture.
Corberan will be sweating on the results of his player’s scan results, as will Baggies fans.
