A YOUNG Albion XI suffered a 1-0 defeat at Blue Square Bet North outfit Worcester City in their pre-season opener.
Mike Symmons' solitary 36th-minute strike proved enough to seal victory for the hosts at St George's Lane in front of a crowd of 1,017.
Baggies reserve/development coach David Oldfield said: "Our performance in the first half was pretty average but we improved in the second half.
"We showed more willingness to get on the ball and push them - but Worcester are a good side and had the experience that our boys lacked.
"Overall it was a good learning curve this early on in pre-season."
Oldfield made changes between the 55th and 75th minutes with Isaiah Brown coming on for Alex Jones, Ambalu for James Bantom and Callum Jones for Jordan Francis.
ALBION STARTING XI (4-4-2): Lewis; Francis, D Daniels, Gayle, Garmston; Atkinson, Pace, Bantom, Nabi; Sawyers, A Jones.