ROMAINE Sawyers earned Michael Appleton's men a deserved point with a coolly-taken 51st-minute leveller at The Hawthorns.

The Baggies fell behind in the 37th minute of this Barclays Premier Reserve League (South) fixture to young Gunners striker Fran Merida's sublime chip.

But Albion looked the most likely winners after the break, with the lively Roman Bednar going close three times.  

Marek Cech, who is on standby for Saturday's top-flight tussle with Wigan should Paul Robinson lose his fitness race, enjoyed a 70-minute workout.

Fellow first-team squad members Dean Kiely, Carl Hoefkens, Ryan Donk, Bednar, Filipe Teixeira and Luke Moore all played the full game, while Do-heon Kim figured for 85 minutes.

Albion could count themselves hard done by to be trailing at the break.

True, only Dean Kiely's finger-tips kept the hosts level inside the first minute when the Ireland international turned Sanchez Watt's shot around his far post.

But opposite number Vito Mannone was to prove the busier keeper during the opening 45.

Sawyers almost restored parity in the fourth minute when he tricked his way through the Gunners' defence before seeing his goalbound shot deflected just wide.

Arsenal only half-cleared the resulting corner and Sawyers chested the ball down for Teixeira to fire a half-volley into the side-netting from the edge of the box.

The Portuguese playmaker went even closer on nine when, after winning possession 20 yards out, his curling effort looked destined for the top corner until Mannone clawed it away.

After a lull in the action, Albion threatened again on the half-hour mark. Cech whipped Kim's short corner into the danger-zone but Donk could only plant a free 12-yard header straight at Mannone.

Two minutes later, Kim won possession on the edge of the Gunners box and, like Teixeira earlier, curled the ball goalwards, only for Mannone to pull off a wonderful save.

However, it was Arsenal who drew first blood on 37.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas slotted through Merida who advanced into the right-hand side of the penalty area before, cool as you like, lifting the ball over the advancing Kiely and into the net.

Albion rallied during the closing stages of the half and, in the 41st minute, the unmarked Bednar saw his flick header from Cech's free-kick fly inches wide of Mannone's left-hand post.

Arsenal threatened first after the break when Emmanuel-Thomas exchanged a clever one-two, rounded Kiely and pulled the ball back from the byline. Abu Ogogo looked certain to slot home until Hoefkens, on his return from injury, came from nowhere to throw his body at the shot and deflect it over.

But Albion were level on 51.

Joss Labadie slipped a lovely ball through to Moore down the right and his shot across goal was palmed away by Mannone. However, the ball fell to Sawyers on the edge of the box and the young midfielder slotted home through a forest of legs.

The lively Bednar went close again eight minutes later when his flick header from Kim's set piece sailed just wide.

The Czech Republic international went even closer on 62 when he thumped the crossbar with a 25-yard rocket.

The remainder of the match threw up few goalscoring chances - until Bednar almost won it in stoppage time.

The former Hearts hitman came in from the left and beat two Arsenal defenders before firing just wide of the far post.