Oxford United draw with West Brom: Key talking points

The match itself was a tight one, with few clear openings for either side, but another example of how far the U’s have come.

All the so-called experts and pundits wrote United off before a ball was kicked this season, but 10 games in, and Des Buckingham’s team sit 11th in the Sky Bet Championship table.

We looked at the key talking points after the U’s left it late against the Baggies.

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Defences on top

At both ends, neither goalkeeper was forced into making a good save, and it was more a case of routine stops.

Jamie Cumming saved from Karlan Grant late in the first half and held a shot from Uros Racic in the second period, but that was about it for the United keeper.

His opposite number Alex Palmer denied Mark Harris at his near post early on, but the Welsh striker’s touch had let him down after beating the offside trap, allowing the save to be a more comfortable one.

The reason for the relative inactivity for the keepers was mainly because both teams saw their defences come out on top.

Elliott Moore and Ben Nelson were rock solid at the heart of the U’s defence, and Albion striker Josh Maja barely had a sniff.

Huge credit must go to the entire backline for that feat, with Maja the top Championship marksman this season.

He has seven goals to his name, equal with Norwich City winger Borja Sainz. On a similar note, England Under-21 winger Tom Fellows has five assists, making him the outright top creator in the division.

However, up against Ciaron Brown, the wide man struggled to get involved, and it was on the opposite flank where Grant provided most of the threat for the Baggies.

Centre forward conundrum

Harris bagged a goal in each of his first four league games this season, but hasn’t scored in the six since.

His work rate hasn’t diminished, yet a goal from the bench for Scarlett will pose questions for Buckingham.

Derby County visit Grenoble Road on Tuesday night, and there could be a temptation to give Scarlett a first league start ahead of Harris.

An alternative though could be Harris lining up on the right-hand side, something we saw at Bristol City when Scarlett came off the bench.

Albion opener

There were calls for a foul by Racic on Siriki Dembele a matter of seconds before Grant fizzed in the opening goal of the game.

Watching the game live, there looked to be enough contact to warrant a free kick, but the replays would suggest Racic simply outmuscled Dembele.

My personal opinion would be that it wasn’t a foul, and unfortunately for United, they saw their goal breached just moments later.