Mozza’s men face Oxford examination

Oxford United v West Bromwich Albion; Kassam Stadium, Saturday 28th February 2026, 3pm

James Morrison takes charge of Albion for the fourth time tomorrow, but this is the first time that the result really matters. A top six spot had already gone when he guided the team through the final two games of last season, while the FA Cup match at Swansea City was always something of a free hit given the troubles in the league. Nevertheless, a record of one win, one draw and one win on penalties is not too shabby for a caretaker boss.

Of course, it will be very different at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday afternoon – not only is it a massive game for Albion, it is a real test for Mozza who has designs on being a head coach himself. If he can get the team to produce a first away league win since 1st October, and a first league win of 2026, it will put him in with a great chance of retaining the reins until the end of the season.

The question we have to ask, of course, is what hope is there that Mozza can inspire a team that has been essentially failing consistently for pretty much the last four months? Albion have won just four league games since mid October and only one, the 2-0 win over Sheffield United in December, have they won convincingly. Sure, they have looked the better side in many matches, including Ramsay’s final game on Tuesday, but the lack of a cutting edge has plagued the Baggies all season, if not for the past two or three campaigns. That the only time Albion have scored more than three goals in a match in the last twelve months was under Morrison does provide a little hope, I guess.

Perhaps one thing that Mozza can try to provide to the players is clarity. Ramsay came into the job promising clarity but, from the outside at least, it never looked like the players were too clear on what he was trying to achieve. Clear messaging is all important when in a crisis as Albion undoubtedly are at the moment – if Ramsay takes anything from his disastrous spell as Baggies head coach, he perhaps needs to work on his messaging.

Against Charlton on Tuesday, however, the signs were encouraging but massive chances missed by Maja and Price were costly. Any positivity needs caveating with the knowledge that the Addicks were very poor, albeit clinical in that they scored with their only real chance. While it was a game that ultimately cost Ramsay his job, it did at least show a step in the right direction, even if it was back to the frustrations we endured under Mason – however, only a slight improvement on the 1.2 points per game Albion earned under Ramsay’s predecessor should be enough to get them over the line in the final dozen games of the campaign.

In his previous spells, Morrison has shaken things up in terms of the team selection, with the notable inclusion of Daryl Dike for the final game of last season in which the American scored his only goal in the last two years. I would expect to see a 4-2-3-1 formation but it will be interesting to see whether Mozza continues with the experiment of playing Jayson Molumby in the number ten role, one that was largely successful against the Addicks. For the most part, I think players will be playing where they feel most comfortable – after apparent confusion under Ramsay, Mozza will keep it simple.

Saturday’s opponents are one of the few teams in the division in worse form than Albion and, of course, one of only three below them in the table. The bottom four of the six-game form table matches the current overall positions with Wednesday (no points), Oxford (two) and Leicester (two) having picked up fewer than the four points that the Baggies have earned from the last half dozen matches. Blackburn Rovers and Charlton Athletic have nine points from the last six, and it is that level of return that Albion need to match.

It’s a massive match for both clubs. If the Baggies can’t beat Oxford, comfortably the second worst team in the division, the chances of them avoiding relegation would seem incredibly slim.

History

Albion’s history with Oxford United is relatively brief, with Saturday just the 27th time that the two clubs will have met in a competitive fixture. The U’s have triumphed in just five of those matches, four of them coming in succession in the late 1990s.

The clubs first met in December 1973 after Albion were relegated to Division Two under Don Howe. Howe’s team won the first match at the Hawthorns thanks to a goal from David Shaw, but Oxford won the return at the Manor Ground also by a single goal, this one scored by Steve Aylott.

The Baggies remained unbeaten against Oxford for the next fifteen fixtures, all but two of them coming in the second tier. The two clubs were both in the top division for just one season, 1985/86, with Albion being the U’s first ever top flight opponent. That Johnny Giles’ team failed to beat newly-promoted Oxford on the opening day of the season should have been a concern – Imre Varadi scored the second half opener but Bobby McDonald scored United’s first ever goal in Division One to make the final score 1-1. The return match at the Manor Ground also finished all square – John Aldridge’s penalty gave the hosts a first half lead before two goals in three minutes from Steve Hunt and Imre Varadi put Albion ahead only for Jeremy Charles to equalise a few minutes later, making the final score 2-2. Albion would be relegated that season but Oxford survived thanks to a 3-0 win over Arsenal on the final day.

The two clubs were frequent opponents in the second tier from the late eighties to the late nineties, although both had a spell in the third tier at different times. Oxford finally ended their run without a win against Albion in March 1997 when Matt Murphy’s late goal gave them a 1-0 win over Ray Harford’s team at the Manor Ground. They followed that up with a league double in 1997/98 starting with their only ever victory at the Hawthorns in October 1997 when they recovered from Andy Hunt’s early opener with goals from Nicky Banger and future Baggie, Darren Purse. Two months later, Oxford boss, Denis Smith, would make the move to the Hawthorns as Harford’s replacement. United would gain revenge on their old boss In February 1998 with another 2-1 win, this one at the Manor Ground, with another future Albion centre back on the scoresheet, Phil Gilchrist.

Oxford completed their run of four successive wins over Albion in September of that year with a convincing 3-0 home win before Denis Smith finally recorded a victory over his old club in March 1999 thanks to goals from James Quinn and Enzo Maresca. The U’s were relegated at the end of that season and did not return to the second tier for a quarter of a century.

The only meeting between the clubs in that period was in August 2014 in a League Cup tie at the Hawthorns – it finished 1-1 but Albion won 7-6 on penalties with Jason Davidson scoring the decisive spot kick.

Saturday will be just Albion’s second visit to the Kassam Stadium for a competitive fixture with last season’s match finishing 1-1. The Baggies did win 3-0 there in a pre-season friendly in July 2022.

Stat Attack

Current Form

All competitions; most recent game on the right

Last matches

Last meeting

8 Nov 2025 – League Championship
West Bromwich Albion 2 (Leigh (o.g.), Heggebø)
Oxford United 1 (Lankshear)

Last meeting at Oxford United

19 Oct 2024 – League Championship
Oxford United 1 (Scarlett)
West Bromwich Albion 1 (Grant)

Last win at Oxford United

8 Sep 1990 – League Division 2
Oxford United 1 (Foyle)
West Bromwich Albion 3 (Bannister, West (2))

Albion’s Record against Oxford United