West Bromwich Albion moved five points clear of the relegation zone at the weekend with a 2-0 win against Preston North End at Deepdale in the Championship.
Goals from Josh Maja and Daryl Dike secured all three points for James Morrison’s side, who are now eight games unbeaten in the second tier.
Aune Heggebo registered his 14th goal contribution of the campaign, with ten goals and four assists, by assisting Maja’s goal in the first half of the match in Lancashire.
The Norwegian centre-forward was somewhat fortunate to assist the goal, though, as Maja took the ball on from his strike partner’s poor touch in the box to find the bottom corner.
Despite assisting the opening goal in the match, it was far from an impressive performance from the 24-year-old attacker, who should be dropped from the XI.
Why West Brom should drop Aune Heggebo against Watford
The Baggies welcome Watford to The Hawthorns on Tuesday night and Morrison should drop Heggebo from the starting line-up, in spite of his assist.
Ironically, the former SK Brann star’s assist summed up what went wrong with his display, as it was a poor piece of control and hold-up play that inadvertently assisted Maja.
The £4.7m signing was too easily dominated by Lewis Gibson and Jordan Storey at the back for Preston, losing two of his three ground duels and six of his nine aerial duels.
|
Vs Preston |
Aune Heggebo |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
70 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Passes completed |
8 |
|
Unsuccessful touches |
4 |
|
Ground duels won |
1/3 |
|
Aerial duels won |
3/9 |
Heggebo was not an effective outlet for the Baggies in the centre-forward position, due to how often he lost his physical battles, and that meant that he ended the game with just eight completed passes to his name.
Dike came on to replace him and scored the second goal for the Baggies, but he is still looking to get back to full fitness and has not scored a goal as a starter since the win over Luton in May 2025.
The West Brom player who could replace Aune Heggebo against Watford
To keep the USA international as an option to bring off the bench, Morrison could unleash a star who is not even a centre-forward to take Heggebo out of the line-up.
Watford lost to a Sheffield United team playing a 4-2-3-1 formation at the weekend, exploiting the space down the flanks with wide play to put crosses into the box, and Morrison could use that same tactic.
The Baggies played a compact 4-4-2 shape in the game away at Preston, but switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation against the Hornets could allow them to have more control in possession and to use the wide areas to get at Watford’s struggling backline.
Therefore, Morrison should drop Heggebo from the team to unleash academy graduate Oliver Bostock on the wing, which would allow Isaac Price to play on the left and Jayson Molumby to move into a number ten role ahead of Alex Mowatt and Ousmane Diakite.
|
25/26 Championship |
Oliver Bostock |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
6 |
|
Starts |
1 |
|
Minutes |
161 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Dribbles completed |
1 |
Bostock scored his first senior goal for the club in the 2-1 loss to Oxford United in Morrison’s first game, showing that he can produce at Championship level, and he impressed with one assist in two games in the FA Cup earlier this year.
The 19-year-old winger, who can play on the left or the right flank, produced eight goals and four assists in 51 games at U18 and U21 level for the Baggies before making his breakthrough in the senior team.
As West Brom look to move further away from the relegation zone and start to think about next season, giving players like Bostock a chance to show that he can play a big role moving forward could be a good idea.
The teenage talent has shown glimpses, with a goal in the league and an assist in the FA Cup, that he has the potential to be a star for the Baggies in the first-team moving forward, as a winger who can contribute with both goals and assists.
He has to be given the opportunity to shine, though, and that is why Morrison should unleash him on the wing as a replacement for Heggebo against Watford to switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation in the Championship clash.
West Brom star is fast becoming more important than Maja to Morrison
Josh Maja is bang in form at West Bromwich Albion.
Hopefully, if given a chance, Bostock can play a key role in confirming the club’s safety in the league in the final few matches of the season.