It wasn’t spectacular and it wasn’t always pretty. It wasn’t even as convincing as the scoreline might suggest.

But four moments of Premier League quality took Albion’s shadow team into the third round of the Carling Cup.

With every member of the weekend’s Premier League team left behind for the trip to Dorset, it was up to the Baggies’ second string to see off Bournemouth.

They did it comfortably enough, in the end. Yet, in spite of a sizable margin of victory, only one member of boss Roy Hodgson’s line-up made a serious case for inclusion in the side to face Stoke in the Premier League on Sunday.

That man, winger Jerome Thomas, returned from injury with an eye-catching 45-minute display and a nerve-settling opening goal.

But, elsewhere, it was much more solid that swashbuckling as the Baggies’ fringe men did enough to see off the Cherries.

Marc-Antoine Fortune responded to a nightmare first 40 minutes with a pleasing second-half and two goals, while Simon Cox recovered from a flat opening half to net a fine strike. And Graham Dorrans completed a useful 90-minute outing as captain.

Hodgson’s men had a significant advantage by the half-time whistle despite a patchy display in the opening 45 minutes.

Thomas opened the scoring on eight minutes, outstripping Nathan Byrne before beating goalkeeper Daryl Flahavan from a narrow angle.

Albion then gave themselves some breathing space three minutes before the interval, when Cox’s cross was forced home from close in by Fortune.

However, the Baggies were pegged back just two minutes into the second-half. On-loan Wolves youngster Scott Malone darted into the box and his low cross was turned in from a couple of yards out by Steve Lovell.

It took Albion just five minutes, though, to restore their two-goal lead with a moment of real quality.

Billy Jones intercepted a pass and drove over the halfway line before delivering a fine pass that Cox took comfortably in his stride, before producing a typically assured finish.

It was 4-1 with 13 minutes remaining, however, when Fortune bagged his second after a neat passing move.

Fortune collected Marek Cech’s ball and turned superbly away from Adam Barrett, before planting a confident shot into the bottom corner.

By Steve Madeley