WEST Brom's former Oxford United goalkeeper Phil Whitehead, who faces his old team for the first time today, predicts the U's may struggle following Dean Windass's move to Bradford.

Whitehead was the first of the senior players to leave the Manor this season when he joined his ex-United boss Denis Smith in a £250,000 move last November.

He has been followed by Simon Marsh (to Birmingham) and Windass. And he said today's Division 1 fixture at The Hawthorns has been ringed on his calendar from the day he left.

"I can't wait for this game," he said.

"I had a look straight away when I signed to see when we would be playing Oxford, so I'm looking forward to seeing the lads and hopefully put one over them.

"I'd had 5 years at Oxford and was perhaps starting to get a little stale. I'm meeting a new challenge, so I have no regrets at all about coming to West Brom."

Looking at his old club, Whitehead said: "Oxford are fighting for their lives and nobody is giving them a hammering.

"They could struggle without Dean Windass, though. He's scored around half of their goals and was their main attacking menace."

Smith this week tied up a five-year financial deal with the Danish part-time club Greve, providing Albion with a gateway to some of the best young Scandinavian talent.

EX-UNITED winger Chris Allen has joined his former boss Brian Horton at Port Vale, after signing on a free transfer from Nottingham Forest. United sold Allen to Forest for £400,000 in June, 1996.

Story date: Saturday 06 March

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.