RUNAWAY leaders Nottingham Forest proved too good for Albion reserves at Aggborough.
The second-placed Baggies were never really in this Pontin's Holidays League Division One (Central) contest and found themselves 3-0 down within the opening eight minutes as Paul Taylor, Emile Sinclair and Julian Bennett struck for the visitors.
Neil Clement gave Albion a boost by getting 90 minutes under his belt on his second successive second-string outing since returning from a 13-week knee-injury lay-off.
But even his night was soured when he inadvertently headed home Forest's fourth from James Reid's cross in the 33rd minute.
Craig Beattie pulled a goal back eight minutes before half-time but even by that stage it was too little, too late.
Forest keeper Dale Roberts was in fine form to deny Albion any further consolations after the break and it was Forest who added to the scoring when Sinclair scored his second of the night in the 80th minute.
The Baggies found themselves behind inside two minutes when a quick exchange of passes saw Reid tee up Taylor just inside the penalty area and he curled home.
Two minutes later, Richard Chaplow played a throughball to David Worrall, who saw his shot blocked by Roberts.
Beattie picked up the rebound but fired over from 18 yards.
Forest doubled their lead in the sixth minute when Taylor's ball over the top put Sinclair in the clear and he drew Luke Steele before chipping over the Albion keeper.
Bennett showed some neat footwork on the edge of the penalty area in the eighth minute before firing home low to Steele's right.
The hosts responded with a Beattie bicycle-kick that sailed just wide from Jared Hodgkiss' tee up.
Craig Shakespeare's men tried to get a foothold in the game and Beattie's near-post flick from Jack Compton's right-wing corner was blocked in front of goal in the 15th minute.
The Scotland striker burst through midfield ten minutes later but saw his shot saved. Sherjill MacDonald pounced on the rebound but blazed over.
At the other end, Sinclair pipped Steele to Taylor's aerial ball and found Ryan Whitehurst, who chipped over with Steele struggling to regain his ground.
Things went from bad to worse for Albion in the 33rd minute when Reid's right-wing cross was headed into his own net by Clement.
The Baggies pulled one back eight minutes before the break when the visitors made a mess of a clearance and allowed Beattie to smash the ball home from the edge of the box.
The hosts improved after the interval and, on the hour mark, Beattie laid off Worrall's ball for Hodgkiss, who forced a fine point-blank save from Roberts.
Five minutes later, Beattie ran onto a Clement pass down the left but sent his attempt well wide.
Beattie then played a neat one-two with Josh Knight before presenting Clement with a chance, which Roberts saved low to his right.
A short-corner from Compton to Worrall gave the Baggies midfielder the opportunity to surge inside and force Roberts into another save.
MacDonald was again quickest to the rebound but fired into the side-netting.
Ten minutes from time, defender Adrian Manchester got caught in possession by Sinclair who rounded Steele before nut-megging Manchester on the goalline to make it five.
MacDonald made good use of his pace in the 87th minute when he ran from the halfway line but saw his effort palmed away for a corner by Roberts.
Injury-time saw Mark Byrne cut the ball back from the left for Matt Thornhill and only a last-ditch challenge by James Hancox deflected his shot over to deny the visitors a sixth.
ALBION (4-4-2): Steele; Hodgkiss, Manchester, Clement, Hancox; MacDonald, Chaplow (Labadie 75), Worrall, Compton; Knight (Nardiello 80), Beattie. Subs not used: Daniels (gk), Lake-Gaskin, Saied.
FOREST (4-4-2): Roberts; Tait, Byrne, Maloney, Bennett (Heath 54); Whitehurst, Sharpe, Thornhill, Reid (Pearson 67); Sinclair, Taylor (Wright 77). Subs not used: Redmond, Hopkinson.
REFEREE: O Langford.
ALBION STARMAN: David Worrall.
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