Oxford Utd Vs West Brom: Rare Oxford win reshapes survival race and disrupts travel plans for fans

The shockwaves from Oxford Utd Vs West Brom reach beyond the final whistle: supporters, two patched-up squads and both managers feel the immediate consequences. Oxford’s 2-1 victory at the Kassam Stadium moved the U’s three points closer to West Brom and offered breathing room from 22nd-placed Leicester City, while travelling fans faced planned road closures and altered bus services for the Saturday 3: 00pm kick-off.

Who is affected first — clubs, managers and match-going supporters

West Brom’s relegation worries grew after the defeat: they remain a point above the drop zone and are listed as 21st in the Sky Bet Championship table in pre-match material, while other coverage described them as sitting just two places above Oxford. The result extended West Brom’s winless league run to 11 matches and left their away record wound up as the season’s most losing tally — 13 away defeats — with no away wins since the start of October. For Oxford, the victory was their first in seven Championship matches, ended a run of five home games without a goal and represented only the second win for boss Matt Bloomfield since his appointment in early January, keeping hope alive of staying in the second tier for a third successive season.

Oxford Utd Vs West Brom — what unfolded on the pitch

At the Kassam Stadium, Stanley Mills opened the scoring by heading Jamie Donley’s corner in from six yards, and Will Lankshear rose to head Cameron Brannagan’s floated free-kick to give Oxford a deserved 2-0 lead after 26 minutes; Lankshear’s goal was his first league strike since New Year’s Day. West Brom cut the deficit soon after when substitute Oliver Bostock’s shot from the edge of the box took a heavy deflection off Brannagan and looped into the Oxford net. The visitors pressed thereafter: Josh Maja saw a weak header gather in the Oxford goalkeeper’s arms early in the second half, Isaac Price had a shot blocked, and Aune Heggebo later missed a decent chance with nine minutes left. Krystian Bielik should have levelled late on but headed Alex Mowatt’s free-kick wide with six minutes remaining, and Oxford substitute Aidomo Emakhu also spurned a clearer chance to seal the game. The U’s held on for a 2-1 win.

Tactical shifts, injuries and squad availability

Squad news shaped selection and tactical decisions. Oxford confirmed unavailabilities of Tyler Goodrham, Brian De Keersmaecker and Greg Leigh; Brian De Keersmaecker will miss the rest of the season after choosing shoulder surgery following an injury that sidelined him since the win at Leicester City in January. Jamie McDonnell and Brodie Spencer remained doubts after scans on ankle injuries suffered the previous weekend; Jamie Donley missed midweek action but was expected to be back in contention within a week. For West Brom, centre-half Chris Mepham was still out with a hamstring problem suffered just over two weeks earlier and Karlan Grant also remained absent with the same issue; listed unavailable players included Chris Mepham, Tammer Bany, Karlan Grant and Joshua Griffiths.

Managerial context fed into selection. Eric Ramsay was sacked after nine games in charge following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic; James Morrison stepped up to take over first-team affairs and was described as likely to make significant changes to style and personnel. Morrison, aged 39, had been unbeaten in three outings when taking charge earlier — drawing with Cardiff City and beating Luton Town at the end of the 2024/25 term, and guiding the side to a penalty shootout victory over Swansea City in the Emirates FA Cup in January — and urged his players to show courage, personality and quality, stressing the need for more crosses, more shots and clinical finishing because the campaign has often turned on fine margins.

Logistics, rival history and match context

The fixture was scheduled for the Kassam Stadium on Saturday 28 February, 3: 00pm. Local travel arrangements were altered because the A34/A4130 Milton Interchange was due to be closed that weekend: one OX2 football special bus was set to start from Steventon and the other from Didcot (diverted Milton Park and Milton Village to Drayton); the OX2 would pick up at Didcot stops 30 minutes earlier than normal and both OX2s were expected to pick up in Drayton at the usual times for a 3pm kick-off. Supporters boarding at Milton Heights were asked to head to Steventon, and return passengers aiming to alight at Steventon were warned to board the correct OX2. The closure was expected to impact fans in Didcot, Milton, East Hendred, Wantage, Grove and surrounding villages who drive the interchange. An alternative for Wantage and Grove fans was the OX1 Football Special bus, which starts in Charlton then picks up in Wantage, Grove, East Hanney, Marcham and Abingdon; the printed PDF timetable was noted as out of date and fans were advised to insert the fixture date to access correct pick-up times.

Head-to-head context: the first meeting between the sides this season ended 2-1 at The Hawthorns with Oxford’s Will Lankshear giving the U’s the lead before an own goal and a strike from Aune Heggebo swung the result to the hosts. The last meeting at the Kassam Stadium before this fixture came in October 2024, when Dane Scarlett’s stoppage-time goal rescued a point for the home side. Overall, the two clubs had met 26 times since 1973, with Oxford recording five wins and eight draws; Oxford’s most recent victory in the fixture dated back to 1998 under Malcolm Shotton, when Joey Beauchamp, Paul Powell and Simon Marsh scored in a 3-0 win.

• Oxford’s victory was their first home goal since Boxing Day, ending a club-record five home matches without scoring.
• West Brom’s loss pushed their league winless run to 11 matches and was their 13th away defeat of the season; the club had not won away since the start of October.
• Matt Bloomfield recorded only his second win since being appointed in early January; the result left Oxford three points behind West Brom and two behind 22nd-placed Leicester City in the survival scramble.
• Transport changes for the 3pm kickoff affected multiple towns and forced adjustments to OX2 and OX1 football special services.
• The real question now is whether the managerial shift at West Brom and the return of certain Oxford players will change form in coming weeks.

Here's the part that matters for supporters: the result altered the immediate survival math and travel arrangements for home and away fans, while a cluster of injuries and suspensions will shape team sheets in the short term. It’s easy to overlook, but the combination of squad absences and a managerial change means fine margins could decide both clubs’ fates this season.

Writer’s aside: the mix of a tight league table, recent managerial turnover and local travel disruption made this fixture feel bigger than a simple Saturday match; the next couple of weeks should reveal which side can convert urgency into sustained form.