SUPER-SUB Lateef Elford-Alliyu's second-half double saw Albion cruise to a 4-2 Barclays Premier Reserve League (South) win over West Ham at The Hawthorns.

Chris Wood, fresh from his surprise top-flight debut in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Portsmouth, opened the scoring in the ninth minute.

And fellow young gun Romaine Sawyers' 43rd-minute deflected strike gave Michael Appleton's men a two-goal half-time advantage.

Zavon Hines notched in the 48th minute and Matthew Fry in the 81st minute for the Hammers but their efforts were nothing more than consolations as they sandwiched half-time substitute Elford-Alliyu's deadly double for the Baggies.

Some poor West Ham defending early on saw the ball drop to Wood on the left-hand side of the box in the eighth minute and the 17-year-old striker wasted little time in flashing a shot just past the far post.

Less than 60 seconds later Wood pounced on Sebastien Lake-Gaskin's throughball in the same area of the pitch and this time shot across Hammers keeper Peter Kurucz into the bottom corner of the net.

Do-heon Kim tried his luck from a 25-yard free-kick in the 17th minute and saw his effort dip just over the crossbar.

The Korea Republic ace had another go from a similar distance two minutes later and this time fired straight at Kurucz.

The influential Kim played a neat one-two with Carl Hoefkens down the right wing just past the half-hour mark and swung in a low near-post cross that Wood tried to turn goalwards but could only fire into the side-netting.

The Baggies eventually doubled their lead two minutes before the break when the impressive Wood held the ball up with his back to goal before teeing up Romaine Sawyers, whose strike took a heavy deflection to beat Kurucz.

The visitors started the second half on a positive note when Balint Bajner pounced on Daniels Kearns' free-kick as it bobbled around the box.

Dean Kiely did well to palm the ball away as the United midfielder tried to lift the ball over him - but Hines was quickest to the rebound and fired the ball home through a sea of players.

A first-time clearance by Kiely set half-time substitute Elford-Alliyu free down the left and he found Wood, who showed good strength to hold off his marker and tee up Elford-Alliyu to slot the Baggies' third on the hour-mark.

Five minutes later a free-kick pumped towards the Albion box saw Hines find Hearns and he saw his shot turned around the left-hand post by Kiely.

A poor clearance by the East Londoners gave Elford-Alliyu the chance to find Kim and his long-range shot was fumbled by Kurucz before the West Ham stopper made a brilliant recovery save from Lake-Gaskin on the follow-up in the 73rd minute.

Six minutes later fellow sub Sam Mantom's inch-perfect pass put Elford-Alliyu clean through on goal and he rounded Kurucz to tuck the ball home for his second goal of the night.

The Hammers grabbed a second consolation strike in the 81st minute when Kearns' deep free-kick caught the hosts' defence sleeping and enabled Fry to slide in and score.

But Albion finished strongly and Elford-Alliyu almost made it a second-half hat-trick five minutes from time when he latched onto another Mantom throughball, only to be crowded out as he stabbed his effort wide of the goal.

ALBION (4-3-3): Kiely; Hoefkens, Donk, Downing, Samuels; Labadie (Mantom 76), Kim, Mulumbu; Sawyers (Elford-Alliyu HT), Wood, Lake-Gaskin. Subs not used: Gayle, Martin, Knight.

WEST HAM (4-4-2): Kurucz; Miller (O'Neill HT), Eyjolfsson, N'Gala, Fry; Kearns, Lee, Grasser (Montano 70), Edgar; Bajner, Hines. Subs not used: Loveday, Harvey, Okus, Barrett.

BOOKINGS: ALBION - Labadie (foul 43). WEST HAM - N'Gala (foul 40), Edgar (foul 62), Hines (foul 85).

GOALS: ALBION - Wood (9), Sawyers (43), Elford-Alliyu (60, 79). WEST HAM - Hines (48), Fry (81).

REFEREE: J Farries.

ATTENDANCE: 270.

ALBION STARMAN: Chris Wood. 

PIC: DOUBLE TROUBLE...Super-sub Elford-Alliyu bagged brace

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