ROMAN Bednar got 90 minutes under his belt on his comeback from a hamstring injury as Albion reserves suffered a 2-0 derby defeat at Villa.

The Czech Republic striker, who has been sidelined for the last three Barclays Premier League games, missed a golden opportunity to give the Baggies the lead in the 31st minute when he hit the post.

And just four minutes later Marc Albrighton bagged the opening goal of the game as the hosts secured the Barclays Premier Reserve League (South) title.

Albrighton came close to doubling his tally on the night when he hit the post six minutes into the second half.

But both sides created chances in an end-to-end encounter at Villa Park and the Claret-and-Blues had to wait until the first minute of injury time to be certain of all the points thanks to James Collins' strike.

The Baggies side featuring six senior players made a bright start but it was their younger hosts who made the first openings.

Albrighton broke onto Nathan Baker's raking pass down the left in the third minute and stepped inside to flash in a 20-yard shot that Dean Kiely held at the second attempt.

Four minutes later the roles were reversed as Baker met Albrighton's right-wing corner with a thundering header that flew just wide of the right-hand post.

Albion's first effort on goal came in the 11th minute when Dwayne Samuels fed Chris Wood in the area and the New Zealand striker turned sharply only to see his strike blocked by Gary Gardner.

Good work down the left wing by Dominik Hofbauer in the 18th minute saw him pick out Albrighton on the edge of the box - but the Villa winger sliced his first-time volley horribly wide.

Moments later Carl Hoefkens' weak clearance landed at the feet of Hofbauer, whose goalbound shot was blocked by Ryan Donk.

Albrighton was in the action again in the 25th minute when he delivered a pin-point cross for Jonathan Hogg - but his header was well saved by Kiely.

It was the Baggies' turn six minutes later when Elliott Parish pulled off a diving save to his left from Hoefkens powerful header, as the Belgium international got on the end of Do-heon Kim's right-wing centre.

The rebound fell to the lively Bednar and he prodded goalwards from close range, only to hit the post before seeing Matthew Roome somehow clear of the goalline.

This topsy-turvy encounter turned Villa's way in the 35th minute when Nathan Delfouneso had Donk twisting and turning in the box before squaring the ball for Albrighton to curl home past Kiely from 12 yards.

Albion were struggling to get in behind the hosts' defence and Youssouf Mulumbu resorted to a long-range effort that flew high over the crossbar three minutes before the break.

Michael Appleton's men came flying out of the blocks in the second half and Villa had a lucky escape in the 48th minute when Bednar's right-wing cross somehow evaded everyone as it flashed across the six-yard box.

Delfouneso then latched onto Paul Downing's poor header and raced towards goal before eventually seeing his attempted shot blocked by Samuels.

Hoefkens, who had gone to ground to block the ball, could only half clear and Hogg's chip picked out Albrighton at the back post.

He came within a whisker of doubling his tally for the night when his left-foot volley hit the far upright in the 51st minute.

Five minutes later Kim's clever flick gave Hoefkens a shooting opportunity -but the skipper-for-the-night tamely fired at Parish from just inside the area.

At the opposite end Baker was presented with another chance but he produced an air shot from Collins' downwards header.

Kiely dived low to his left in the 68th minute to snap up Gardner's skidding 25-yard strike as the hosts looked to take control.

Three minutes later Parish managed to clutch Lateef Elford-Alliyu's effort that was bound for the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

But the Claret-and-Blues broke quickly and only Hoefkens' last-ditch challenge denied Delfouneso a free shot on goal from ten yards at the other end.

Substitute Sam Mantom found Elford-Alliyu on the left-hand side of the penalty area in the 84th minute and he turned to drill in a low shot that looked to be creeping inside the near post until Parish swooped to stick out an arm and save.

Villa ensured all three points headed their way in the first minute of injury time when Collins swept home Albrighton's right-wing cross from eight yards.

VILLA (4-4-2): Parish; Lichaj, Roome, Clark, Baker; Albrighton, G Gardner, Hogg, Hofbauer; Collins, Delfouneso. Subs not used: Bevan (gk), Mikaelsson, Forrester, Blythe, Grocott.

ALBION (4-3-3): Kiely; Hoefkens, Downing, Donk, Samuels; Kim, Mulumbu, Labadie (Mantom 82); Elford-Alliyu, Bednar, Wood (Brown 76). Subs not used: Allsop (gk), Lovell, Waghorn.

BOOKINGS: VILLA - Albrighton (foul 26). ALBION - Donk (foul 74), Mulumbu (foul 77).

GOALS: VILLA - Albrighton (35), Collins (90+1).

REFEREE: M Hester.

ALBION STARMAN: Carl Hoefkens.

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