Slavia Prague 2 West Brom 1 - Report and pictures

But the fact Albion's second string were unable to keep ahold of the one-goal lead the first team handed over to them at half-time in today's game with Slavia Prague shows the gulf between the youngsters and the seniors.

It also highlights, once more, the obvious need for additions to this threadbare squad which has just 15 senior outfield players.

The Czech champions have already played five warm-up games and their season starts in a fortnight, they are weeks ahead of the Baggies.

But the first team, which had summer signing Jay Rodriguez in the number 10 role behind Salomon Rondon, dealt with them professionally and thanks to a clinical breakaway goal from James McClean after 26 minutes, they entered half-time 1-0 ahead.

In fairness to the youngsters, who also had free agent Jason Lowe on trial at right-back, they should have had a penalty at 1-1 when Jonathan Leko was felled in the box.

But goals from centre-back Simon Deli in the 50th minute and right-back Michal Frydrych 13 minutes from time completed the turnaround.

There were some promising performances from 18-year-old centre-back Dara O'Shea, who crashed a header against the crossbar on his first team debut, and Leko too, who too often blows hot and cold.

Lowe, who has spent his whole career at Blackburn Rovers before being released at the end of last season, looked assured at right-back even though his preferred position in defensive midfield.

But it was McClean and Matt Phillips who were Albion's stars of the show, and it was the two wingers who combined in the first-half for the team's first goal of pre-season.

When Albion cleared their lines, Phillips jinked inside just 25 yards out of his own goal before sending McClean, who was on the half-way line, through on goal.

The Irish international rounded Slavia keeper Jan Lastuvka with ease before passing the ball into the gaping net.

Not that Slavia, who enter the third qualifying round of the Champions League next week, were rolling over meekly.

Ben Foster had already been called into a point-blank save from a Frydrych header four yards out and the Czech side's marquee summer signing Danny, who arrived from Zenit St Petersburg, looked dangerous on the left wing.

Jinking in and out of tackles, it took an arm across the face from Craig Dawson to stop him, earning the defender a yellow card and an earful from the veteran Portuguese schemer.

Dawson was playing centre-back with Jonny Evans as James Morrison and Gareth McAuley each sat out the game with their respective injuries, but rewarded the 30-odd die-hard Baggies fans who had found the secluded Kumberg Stadium in the hills of Austria by mingling with them throughout.

Pulis made wholesale changes at half-time, giving former England under-20 captain Lowe a trial and exiled winger Callum McManaman some rare minutes.

But Albion's B string couldn't hold on to the lead for long. Just five mintues into the half, centre-back Deli capitalised on a mishit cross by scoring an audacious flick past Boaz Myhill to level things up.

Just like the first-team, the youngsters looked threatening from set pieces, and O'Shea smacked the cross-bar with a powerful standing header from a McManaman corner, but the foul on Leko - who had an earlier shot deflected onto the roof of the net - should have been given.

Which means that Frydrych's 77th minute winner, which was calmly slotted into the bottom right corner, was a tad unlucky. But the Baggies will be stretched thinly at the three double-headers coming up later this summer if new faces aren't added soon.

Teams:

Albion 1st half (4-1-4-1): Foster; Nyom, Evans, Dawson, Brunt; Yacob; McClean, Livermore, Rodriguez Phillips; Rondon.

Albion 2nd half (4-4-1-1) : Myhill, Lowe (on trial), Wilson, O'Shea, Melbourne; McManaman, Harper, Field, Leko; Robson-Kanu; Roberts.

Slavia Prague (4-1-4-1): Lastuvka, Boril (Flo 45), Deli, Jugos, Frydrych; Ngadeu; Danny (Altintop 45), Rotan, Husbauer, Van Buren (Soucek 45); Skoda. Subs: Trubac, Altintop, Zmrhal, Alvir, Tecl, Bilek, Tomas, Scuck, Mesanovic.

Attendance: 110