Albion's youngsters maintained their push for a spot in the last-16 of the Premier League Cup by securing a 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town in their third Group H fixture on Friday night.
All four goals came in the opening period of the match at Colchester United's JobServe Community Stadium, with Ryan Colesby converting an early penalty to make it 1-0 and Remar McNeil finishing impressively to bring the scores level right before the break after the hosts had turned the contest around.
The result leaves both sides on four points from three games, with Bromley and Coventry City sat below the Tractor Boys and the Baggies having completed two matches each.
Leigh Downing, celebrating his birthday, saw his outfit take a very early advantage. Colesby confidently stepped up and stuck his spot-kick away after just six minutes of the tie.
But the Tractor Boys flipped the scoreline in less than eight minutes courtesy of Frankie Runham's double. Town's number 10 equalised almost instantly direct from a free-kick, before going on fire into the bottom corner to make it 2-1 five minutes after his first strike.
Runham could've completed the treble inside 20 minutes, but Baggies stopper Joe Wallis made a great save to prevent Ipswich from increasing their lead.
Albion went in on level terms at the halfway stage with McNeil racing through and slotting home in confident fashion. They may well have gone in ahead, but Rio Parmar, who claimed the assist for McNeil's goal, saw a promising effort saved by Alex Noonan.
The second period proved to be a lot tighter than the opening half of football, with fewer chances carved out.
New Zealand Youth international Wallis made a couple of smart stops as Ipswich set their sights on scoring the showdown's fifth goal. The keeper kept out Charlie Wood's shot, and he followed that save up by tipping Runham's attempt onto the bar.
At the other end, Albion were incredibly close to sealing all three points in the dying stages. Substitute Cole Dexter, who notched in the recent meeting with Nottingham Forest, crashed the ball against the woodwork - a moment which proved to be the final one of any real note in Essex.
ALBION: Wallis, Asomugha (Dexter HT), DuPont, Perkins, Letlat, McNeil (Lucas 81), Colesby, Blackshields, Dlamini (Shaw 76), Parmar, Trialist A (Trialist B 65).
Substitutes: Rutter (GK).
*Photo credit: Ipswich Town Football Club
