Saido Berahino bags brace for West Brom U23s in thriller with Aston Villa
Saido Berahino lived up to his sharp-shooter's reputation tonight, scoring two goals for Albion's under-23 side in a stunning 3-3 draw with rivals Aston Villa at Aggborough.
James Shan's side fell behind in the 11th minute to a Callum O'Hare goal before Harry McKirdy headed the visitors into a 2-0 lead in the 23rd minute.
But the Baggies came roaring back in the first-half and thanks to three goals in under quarter of an hour, they entered half-time 3-2 up.
Tahvon Campbell, back from his loan spell at Yeovil Town, reduced the deficit shortly after the half-hour mark before Berahino finished off a neat passing move in the 39th minute to draw the scores level.
The 23-year-old striker, who has not played for the first team since September, then scored his second and Albion's third on the stroke of half-time.
After a breath-taking first half full of goals, Villa were forced to wait until the 81st minute before Rushian Hepburn-Murphy capped off a topsy-turvy game from the spot.
Max Melbourne brought down the young striker in the box before he got back up and converted the penalty.
Albion and Villa remain level on points in Division Two of Premier League 2 with 18 points from 14 games. Both teams are four points of the play-offs.
