West Brom player ratings v Oxford as Swift shows his class and Grant bags

West Bromwich Albion completed their second 3-0 midweek pre-season friendly win of the campaign thanks in no small part to Karlan Grant at Oxford United.

Grant struck his second and third pre-season goals in the final quarter of this outing at a sweltering Kassam Stadium, a brace which was complemented by a late Yoav Sade own goal.

The Baggies were made to be patient and had to improve their performance levels late in the day to earn such a commanding result, however. There really was a minimal amount to recollect from a lifeless opening 45 minutes of the match. Yes, it’s pre-season. Yes, there were one or two first team players absent here, never mind new signing Okay Yokuslu to be reintegrated and yes, it was warm. Very warm.

Even so, you’d have hoped to have seen the difference between Championship Albion and League One Oxford at some stage in the opening advances. Not that the Us enjoyed much more of the game than the Baggies; there were eye catching moves involving Marcus McGuane and Jodi Jones, but nothing more.

Albion improved marginally, just after the hour mark. The two new signings, John Swift and Jed Wallace, almost combined with success when the former fed the latter down the right and then sneaked into the box to meet the cross, but Swift nodded the ball wide.

Albion from there began to build up a head of steam. Matt Phillips, introduced at half time, found Adam Reach with a pinpoint over-the-top ball and the deputy left-back raced forwards before pulling the ball back for the onrushing Swift. He failed to convert.

Swift did, quite literally seconds later, feed Grant with an excellent through ball, the type that forwards relish running onto and meeting. Once Grant had shrugged off the last man, there was