SAIDO Berahino scored an 82nd-minute equaliser to help ten-man Albion Under-18s kick-off their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Saturday.

The FA Premier Academy League (Group C) clash was goalless at half time despite plenty of Baggies pressure.

But Romaine Sawyers was sent-off in the 70th minute for unsporting behaviour and the Tractor Boys opened the scoring shortly afterwards.

Berahino got Keith Downing's men back into the game and the visitors almost nicked all three points at the death.

"The performance was decent," said the Hawthorns coach.

"We played well in the first half but didn't have a clinical finish to us.

"Ipswich came out strongly in the second half and the game changed when Romaine got sent-off and we conceded almost immediately from a dipping volley from the edge of the box that went over Ryan Allsop.

"Credit to the players for responding very well and producing an equaliser when Saido got in ahead of the keeper with a brave header to convert Ashley Malcolm's crossfield ball.

"We finished very strongly and Ashley had a shot cleared off the line in the last five minutes from a set-piece and Ethan Mannion missed a good chance.

"So, I had mixed emotions really.

"We played well enough to win the game.

"But, looking at it with 20 minutes to go and a man down, the boys responded very positively and that's what I'm most happy about because of mental strength and game management."

Albion Under-18s entertain Charlton on Saturday (ko noon).

ALBION: Allsop, Gayle, Connolly (Mannion 72), Mantom, Downing, Malcolm, Berahino, Thorne, Elford-Alliyu, Sawyers, Brown. Subs not used: Grier, Tebbutt, Lynch, O'Neil.