Albion fell to defeat in Premier League 2 on Friday as West Ham won 4-1 at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre.
Adam Webster got some valuable minutes at the heart of Albion’s defence and Mark O’Mahony scored on his return from injury, but goals from Divin Mubama (2), George Earthy and Junior Robinson earned the high-flying Hammers victory while both teams ended the match with ten players.
Albion edged the opening quarter of an hour against the side second in the league, but the first chance fell to West Ham after Mubamba pounced on a poor back pass and fired at goal from the edge of the box, only for Webster to stick out a leg and deflect the striker’s effort over.
Albion’s first chance came 12 minutes later when Jamie Mullins received the ball in midfield before turning and threading a pass through to Cameron Peupion on the left, but the Aussie’s clipped cross was an inch too high for Odel Offiah at the back post.
Peupion and Mullins combined again moments later after Webster’s fantastic defence-splitting pass, but after the latter found Doyle on the edge of the area, the central midfielder struck his low left-footed shot a yard wide with Jacob Knightsbridge in the West Ham goal well beaten.
The game was beginning to flow nicely as it passed the half hour mark but it was West Ham who began to get on top, and after Steven Hall pulled off a stunning save to keep out Kamarai Swyer’s curler, Mubama put the visitors ahead from close range after fine wing play from Regan Clayton.
Albion almost found an immediate response when they played out brilliantly from the back before Benicio Baker-Boaitey slipped a through ball into Louis Flower’s path, but the striker dragged his effort from 15 yards wide and Shannon Ruth’s team were behind at the break.
Caylan Vickers came on for the second 45 minutes as Albion looked for a way back into the game, but the half couldn’t have started any worse for the hosts as Earthy jinxed past a challenge just outside the area before firing a powerful effort into the bottom corner after 51 minutes.
Two became three moments later as the Hammers pressed high and won the ball back on the edge of the Albion box, and after Earthy got to the byline, he pulled a low cross into the six-yard box which Mubamba tapped home in almost identical fashion to his first goal of the night.
O’Mahony and Jacob Slater came on in response to the third West Ham goal and the former got Albion back into the game with 21 minutes remaining. More patient build-up finally led to Noel Atom threading a beautiful pass into the Irishman, and he calmly finished from 12 yards after breaking clear.
Almost from kick-off, West Ham earned themselves a corner and worked the set-piece well as they looked to regain their three-goal advantage, but Hall did well to keep out Lewis Orford’s powerful effort from ten yards.
The game was stretched now and O’Mahony headed Samy Chouchane’s corner over the bar, but Albion’s chances of a comeback were dealt a blow when Atom fouled Sean Moore in the box and was sent off in the aftermath.
Earthy stepped up to take the penalty and Hall guessed the correct way to save the midfielder’s spot-kick, but the ball bounced back into the danger area and Robinson scrambled in the rebound seven minutes from time.
It wasn’t 10 v 11 for long as Mubama completed an eventful evening for himself by being shown a straight red card for shoving Ruairi McConville in the throat, and seconds after that O’Mahony blasted another good chance over the bar, but that was the final action and Albion remain eighth in PL2.
Albion: Hall, McConville, Webster, Atom, Offiah (Slater 56), Doyle (Knight 74), Chouchane, Peupion, Baker-Boaitey (Vickers 46), Mullins, Flower (O’Mahony 56).
Subs not used: Fisher.