Pre-season: Forest Green Rovers 2 West Brom 0 - Report
Albion's youngsters gave a good account of themselves on the road at Forest Green Rovers but fell to a 2-0 defeat in the penultimate friendly of the summer.
The experienced hosts saw a trialist defender rise to head home just before the break after a fairly even 40 minutes in which Albion were growing.
Dom Bernard netted a second after the hour to kill hopes of a comeback but the Baggies, overseen by Carlos Corberan and under-21s boss Rich Beale as well as 500 fans, worked valiantly.
There was no place in Albion's 18-man squad, plus three extras, for attacking duo Reyes Cleary or Rayhaan Tulloch.
Jamie Andrews, a midfielder by trade, filled in at left-back for the youngsters. Only Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who was captain, and goalkeeper Josh Griffiths have sampled regular league football with Albion's first team.
Goalkeeper David Button, who is available to leave the club, was named on the teamsheet but an unused substitute.
Forest Green just about shaded the first 10 or 15 minutes but there was a clear ploy for the junior Baggies to be brave in the way they worked the ball away from goalkeeper Josh Griffiths and defence.
One of those put under pressure was surprise starter, 17-year-old Jamal Mohammed, a second-year scholar who has spent around a year with the club and caught the eye in Cheltenham a week earlier.
Efforts at goal were at a premium. Lively home winger Kyle McAlister dragged a low deflected strike just wide from distance before the hosts couldn't turn in a low ball across the box.
Albion finally troubled the home goal after half hour. Mo Faal and Jovan Malcolm combined well and the latter, from the left, saw a tame strike fielded by keeper Jamie Searle.
Moments later skipper Gardner-Hickman strode forward purposeful after neat Kevin Mfuamba play and saw a 20-yard rocket fly narrowly over the top left corner.
Albion defender Caleb Taylor sent a rising drive over at the back post from a corner but the visitors fell behind five minutes before the break.
Rovers recycled a corner from the left and the only trialist of the starting 22 players, a centre-back, rose to head home from deep in the box.
McAllister nodded over after the break for Forest Green when he should've done better before Harry Whitwell came within inches of levelling with a beauty.
The 17-year-old surged forward and sent a thumping half-volley plum off the crossbar from 25 yards.
It was as close as Albion got to restoring parity as home right-back Dom Bernard crashed in a first-time strike from the right of the box after being found from the opposite flank with 25 minutes left.
Ted Cann, the visitors' substitute keeper, made a good flying save to deny McAllister a third for the hosts.
Akeel Higgins had a chance to reduce the deficit for the visitors but his first-time effort from fellow sub Alex Williams' cross rose over.
Teams
Forest Green Rovers: Searle, Bernard, Jenks (McCann, 56), McAllister (Carter, 74), Stevens (Bell, 74), Trialist, Moore-Taylor (McKenzie, 74), Robson (Trialist, 45), Omotoye, Jones (Bennett, 74), Brown (Bunker, 71).
Subs not used: Pagel.
Albion (4-2-3-1): Griffiths (Cann, 45); Ingram, Taylor, Mohammed (Harper-Bailey, 45) Andrews; Mfuamba (Nelson, 45), Whitwell (Richards, 79); Gardner-Hickman (Williams, 63), Fellows (Heard, 64) Malcom (Higgins, 45); Faal (Love, 64).
Subs not used: Button.
Attendance: 1,367 (492 Albion fans)
Referee: Sam Allison
