Express & Star

West Brom suffer defeat in opening pre-season encounter

West Brom suffered defeat in their opening pre-season fixture, going down 1-0 to Championship opponents Nottingham Forest behind closed doors at St. George's Park.

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The Hawthorns (AMA)

Albion have been training at the footballing hub throughout the week, as Slaven Bilic prepares his side for the Premier League, which kicks off in a fortnight.

However, Albion failed to find the back of the net, despite coming close a number of times through the friendly fixture.

Logging valuable minutes for two separate XIs, youngsters Jamie Soule, Saul Shotton and Rayhaan Tulloch also found time on the pitch alongside the Baggies' first-team charges.

New Forest signing Lyle Taylor scored the only goal of the game, although Albion did boast the majority of possession and also had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half after Matt Phillips put home Kyle Edwards' cross.

Dara O'Shea, Jamie Soule and Charlie Austin all tested Brice Samba in the Forest goal, whilst Matheus Pereira also curled a free kick wide in the second half, as the Baggies failed to find the back of the net.

Up next for Albion is a private practice match against football league opposition at the Baggies training ground before ending pre-season with an away clash against top flight opponents in another friendly.