Blackpool 2 West Brom 1: Report as early goals see Baggies lose friendly
Albion's first friendly in front of supporters this summer ended in a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool.
The League One hosts, managed by ex-Baggies boss Steve Bruce, prevailed as all three goals were scored in the first 26 minutes.
It was a first friendly defeat in three for new head coach Ryan Mason, whose side fell 2-0 down before midfielder Ousmane Diakite pulled one back.
The Baggies, roared on by at least 1,500 travelling fans, handed first minutes to £4.7million striker Aune Heggebo as a substitute.
Tammer Bany, Jed Wallace, Kyle Bartley and Josh Maja missed out with fitness issues with Jayson Molumby suspended.
The Baggies were immediately put under it by Bruce's hosts - who kick off their season a week earlier - and George Honeyman lifted wastefully over after a mix-up in Albion's penalty area.
Goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, the sole change from the starting XI against Dynamo Kyiv in Austria, played a short pass to Diakite, who was robbed of the ball. It was squared for Honeyman to blaze over.
Mason's men did threaten as Darnel Furlong saw a flicked header flash wide across goal from Alex Mowatt's inswinging corner.
Blackpool were the brighter in the opening exchanges and led on 14 minutes. Torbjorn Heggem could not reach a deep cross from the left and Callum Styles' clearance was weak. It dropped to Ennis who lifted in from six yards.
Albion should have been a second down immediately after as a Griffiths pass but Diakite in trouble again, but the Baggies just survived.
A Pools second did arrive as new recruit Jordan Brown drilled in low after Olly Casey had kept alive a deep free-kick on the byline following a Styles foul.
The visitors only trailed by two for 30 seconds as Diakite powered in a header from Mowatt's corner.
Griffiths made a strong one-handed save to clear from CJ Hamilton before Dan Imray blocked from Tom Fellows prior to half-time.
A stop-start second half took some time to get going as Nat Phillips powered a header from Fellows' corner narrowly wide.
The hosts had an Ashley Fletcher header disallowed on the hour after a push before Diakite drew a save from Franco Ravizolli after being teed up by Isaac Price from a Fellows cross.
Mikey Johnston and Aune Heggebo - the latter for his first minutes - were introduced at the midpoint of the second period and both were immediately involved.
Heggebo's hold-up play allowed a ball to release Karlan Grant on goal but keeper Ravizolli made a low one-v-one save. Grant then lobbed a nice finish over the Argentine, but was flagged offside from Furlong's pass.
A raft of changes followed as momentum was broken up somewhat. Grant had another chance smothered as a touch got away.
Blackpool (4-4-2): Ravizolli, Imray (Lyons, 60), Ihiekwe (Ashworth, 82), Coulson (Sassi, 90), Casey, Brown (Finnigan, 74), Evans, Honeyman (Richardson, 86), Hamilton (Husband, 50), Ennis (Kouassi, 81), Fletcher (Bondo, 86).
Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Bardsley, Upton, Knight.
Albion (4-4-1-1): Griffiths (Wildsmith, 45); Furlong (c), Phillips (Diomande, 82), Heggem (Taylor, 76), Styles (Frabotta, 82); Fellows (Johnston, 67), Diakite (Mfuamba, 82), Mowatt (Deeming, 76), Grant (Whitwell, 82); Price (Cole, 76); Dike (Heggebo, 67).
Subs not used: Williams, Bostock.
Referee: Scott Oldham
