Albion's PL2 side earned a 3-1 victory over Reading in their final match of 2024 on Monday evening.
Alex Williams and Ollie Bostock powered in efforts to hand the hosts a healthy lead, but that lead was halved before the break when Charlie Wellens smashed home a super strike from outside the box.
Matthew Crowther restored the two-goal advantage inside the opening 15 minutes of the second half with the Baggies going on to see out the remainder of the encounter at The Hawthorns in confident fashion.
Richard Beale’s boys made a quick start and could have gone ahead inside the opening 40 seconds when Eseosa Sule squeezed behind a defender to reach a Josh Shaw pass. Unfortunately for the striker, Reading stopper Harrison Rhone made a very smart save.
He could do nothing about Williams’ effort 15 minutes later though. Harry Whitwell broke through the middle, laid the ball to the right side of the box to the winger who fired it between Rhone’s legs.
The visitors responded positively though and had three chances to equalise. Tyler Sackey, Jeremiah Okine-Peiers and Emmanuel Osho all went close, but not close enough.
Ten minutes before the interval it was 2-0. Sule found Bostock in space on the left of the area and the Wales youth international belted the ball into the far bottom corner.
Moments later though, the Royals pulled on back. Midfielder Wellens took aim from the best part of 30 yards and watched his strike fly past Ben Cisse.
The Baggies didn't have to wait too long to restore their two-goal buffer. Just ten minutes had passed in the second period when Sule tried his luck from the edge of the box. His fierce drive cannoned back off the foot of the near post, into the path of Crowther. Albion's number four composed himself, looked up and calmly stroked the ball into the middle of the net with Rhone out of position.
Sule could've made it 4-1 with 20 minutes remaining when a cross from the right found it's way through to the striker at the back post. His volley was heading in, however Rhone dived to his left to thwart the Scot.
At the other end, Reading were restricted to a flurry of crosses which didn't really trouble Albion. Jack Senga did try his luck from range, but Cisse made a comfortable save.
Substitute Dan Chimeziri also had two opportunities to register a goal in the final seconds, but his low attempt from just inside the box was well saved by the Royals keeper, while his ambitious shot from 40 yards narrowly missed the target.
ALBION: Cisse, Nelson, Hall ©, Parker, Shaw (Humphries 83), Crowther, Deeming (Dupont 76), Williams, Whitwell, Bostock (Trialist 76), Sule (Chimeziri 76).
Subs: Wallis (GK).
Catch the WBA TV footage from Monday night's PL2 victory below.
