Albion Under-18s began their reign under new boss Chay Thompson with a stunning 8-2 victory over Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.
While it was a collectively brilliant display at the Knighthead Training and Academy Grounds, one player stole the show in the first 45 on his return from injury in his first competitive minutes of the campaign.
Rio Parmar bagged four goals for himself as he played the opening half of the game, and he helped his team recover from conceding in the second minute by robbing the Blues defence after some slack passing at the back, before providing a lethal finish on his left foot inside the box to level proceedings.
Within no time at all, Parmar had his second - finishing off a tidy set-piece routine inside the area from a matter of yards - and with confidence flowing on his return to action, he soon bagged his hat-trick.
Although the hosts scored to level the game at 2-2, the Baggies' main man showed his quality once again - capitalising on some more uncertain play at the back to rob possession, enter the 18-yard box, and provide a delicate chip to claim his third of the match.
Parmar wasn't done there, either, and neither were the eye-catching finishes he had in his locker as he controlled a lovely through ball from centre-half Abdul Abudu, powered his way to goal, and struck a powerful right-footed finish past the City goalkeeper to make it 4-2.
The goals didn't dry up, far from it, as striker Adam Okorodudu got in on the action with a poacher's finish - tapping in a rebound on the goal line after full-back Adam Letlat had hit the post from a right-wing cross, making it 5-2 and putting Thompson's team in a commanding position going in at the break.
By contrast, the second period was a quieter affair but only by the one goal as the young Baggies provided a clinical edge once again to put the icing on a fantastic display.
Right on queue, Justin Seven-Seven scored on minute 57 to add a sixth, converting Remar McNeil's cutback from the right flank, and the latter got in on the scoring too when the Baggies missed a penalty through Harry French, with McNeil alive to slam in the loose ball for 7-2.
And another forward in Jaiden Francis-Caesar capitalised on Birmingham's vulnerability at the back to find the net in the closing stages, firing low into the bottom corner from outside the box to score Albion's eighth.
The striker's contribution meant boss Thompson enjoyed his first game in permanent charge with an emphatic triumph, the club's youngsters rose to sixth in the U18 Premier League South standings and, ultimately, the Baggies' academy hopefuls recorded a memorable afternoon at one of their local rivals.
Albion: Moses, Perkins (Asomugha 76), Abudu, Shaw, Letlat, Gompe (Bastafield 76), Colesby, McNeil, French (Sankoh 76), Parmar (Seven-Seven 46), Okorodudu (Francis-Caesar 67).
