Albion were reduced to ten men 12 minutes from time when Lloyd Dyer was sent-off for an apparent head-butt on Sam Williams.
On a brighter note, new signing Nathan Ellington completed the first forty-five minutes for the Baggies.
Villa: Taylor, de la Cruz, Green, Cahill, Grant, Berson, Kabeya, Ward, Moore, Williams, Foley. Subs: Saunders, Olejnik, Osbourne (Berson 67), Bridges (Osbourne 77), Phil Green.
Albion: Hoult, Hodgkiss, Dyer, Chaplow (Baker 77), Moore, Forsyth, Smikle, Carter, Ellington (Humphries h/t), Elvins, Pringle. Subs: Daniels, Kelleher, Manchester.