LATEEF Alliyu's spectacular debut goal lit up this tame pre-season affair.
The Under-16 Academy ace belied his young years by calmly stroking home an exquisite 45-yard lob in the 62nd minute to extend the Baggies' unbeaten pre-season run to seven games.
With Albion's young pros and 'senior' Academy players on tour in Denmark, Alliyu was given a rare chance to impress alongside Stuart Nicholson and Sherjill MacDonald in attack.
Fellow Under-16s James Hurst and Romaine Sawyers were named on the bench while Neil Clement got his first pre-season outing at left-back.
Triallist Bulent Gunduz, a teenage midfielder from German giants Schalke, also started.
Otherwise, manager Tony Mowbray began with the substitutes from last night's 3-3 thriller at Bristol Rovers, plus the other first-teamers who didn't travel to the Memorial Stadium.
The game began at a competitive tempo but the first effort on goal didn't arrive until the ninth minute when veteran Stafford striker Neil Grayson blasted wide from 20 yards.
Albion responded immediately when Alliyu spearheaded a breakaway move and slotted MacDonald through.
The Dutch Under-21 ace raced into the box but fired just wide from a tight angle.
Rangers forward Dolapo Olaoye was the next to try his luck but failed to trouble Luke Steele - making his first senior start for the Baggies - from 20 yards.
The ex-Manchester United keeper also had little trouble in dealing with another long-range effort, this time from Grayson, moments later.
Darren Carter continued the pattern of harmless long-range efforts by firing over from 25 yards.
Albion carved out the game's first gilt-edged chance in the 23rd minute.
Stafford keeper Danny Alcock pulled off a stunning point-blank save to keep out MacDonald's stab from Gunduz's low centre.
The on-loan AGOVV Apeldoorn hitman got a second bite of the cherry from the rebound but was this time frustrated by centre-half Craig McAughtrie's goal-saving block.
The ricochet again fell to a visiting player but Gunduz blazed inches over from 18 yards.
MacDonald went close again when he held off Djoumin Sangare to spin on Richard Chaplow's pass and shot into the side-netting from the edge of the box.
Albion were now calling the shots and young gun Alliyu showed great alertness to spring the Rangers offside trap and race onto Ronnie Wallwork's hopeful punt upfield.
But Stafford skipper Wayne Daniel recovered well to divert the pacy striker away from goal, with his final effort trickling wide of the near post.
A minute before half-time, neat work by Nicholson and Gunduz set up another decent chance for Alliyu, but the striker fluffed his shot straight at Alcock from 12 yards.
There was just enough time for Stafford, whose first season back in the Conference last term ended with them avoiding relegation on the final day, to break upfield, with Grayson shooting just wide from 25 yards.
The second-half started in scrappy fashion and Albion were forced into a change on the hour mark when Jared Hodgkiss, who played for 60 minutes at Bristol last night, replaced the injured Shelton Martis.
But Alliyu brought the game spectacularly to life in the 62nd minute.
Stafford keeper Alcock found himself in no-man's land when he raced out of his area to prevent Nicholson getting on the end of Clement's arrowed throughball.
The ball broke to Alliyu who, from fully 45 yards, calmly lofted the ball high over Alcock on the half-volley and just under the Rangers bar.
David Beckham, eat your heart out!
Neither keeper was tested again as Albion saw out their third pre-season win.
RANGERS: Alcock, Sangare, Sutton, Daniel, McAughtrie, Flynn, Olaoye, Grayson, Sebastion, Gregory, Peters. Subs: Duggan, Suhaj, Fisher, Adaggio, Draper, Hopkinson, Ingram, Marach, Scott, Richards, Linford, Wood.
ALBION (4-3-3): Steele (Daniels HT); Wallwork, Martis (Hodgkiss 60), Albrechtsen, Clement; Gunduz (Hurst 75), Chaplow, Carter; Nicholson, Alliyu, MacDonald (Sawyers 82).
GOALS: ALBION - Alliyu (62).
BOOKINGS: None.
REFEREE: A Wiley (Staffs).
ATTENDANCE: 1,212 (491 Albion fans).
ALBION STARMAN: Neil Clement.
PIC: YOU BEAUTY!...Alliyu is congratulated by triallist Gunduz after his wonder winner |
