Albion: Pascal Zuberbuhler, Martin Albrechtsen (Zoltan Gera 61), Steve Watson, Chris Perry, Paul Robinson, Jonathan Greening, Ronnie Wallwork, Nigel Quashie, Darren Carter (Jared Hodgkiss 61), Nathan Ellington (Richard Chaplow 61), John Hartson. Subs not used: Tomasz Kuszczak (gk), Luke Daniels (gk), Curtis Davies, Junichi Inamoto, Rob Davies, Jeff Forsyth, Ibrahim Sissoko, Rob Elvins

Referee: Eddie Smith (Scotland)

Half-Time: Motherwell 0-2 Albion

Malpas still professed himself pleased with his team's pre-season campaign, which also included a win and three draws. He said: "Now we'll see how we get on when the real ball comes out next week. A bit of urgency was missing today, but I'm sure that will come next Sunday. I don't think Paul Le Guen will be worrying about Motherwell and we aren't worrying about Rangers. If we perform to the best of our abilities we've got a chance."

Le Guen and his assistant Yves Colleau saw Motherwell line up with midfielder Jim Paterson filling the left-back vacancy following Steven Hammell's departure, and former Ibrox striker Ross McCormack, the only summer arrival at Fir Park, was consigned to the bench.

Motherwell were first to threaten when they had two good opportunities after eight minutes. Richie Foran launched an impressive 25-yard drive which forced Swiss World Cup goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler to tip the ball over his top right-hand corner; and from Kevin McBride's subsequent corner, Brian McLean's header bounced back off the bar.

It took the newly-relegated Championship side 15 minutes to make a meaningful break upfield, a move led by the impressive Scotland midfielder Nigel Quashie and finished when Hartson was calmly dispossessed by Paterson. West Brom then won a free kick on the edge of the penalty box when home goalkeeper Graeme Smith landed inches outside the area after coming to collect Paul Robinson's free kick from just inside his own half, but Nathan Ellington's effort sailed over.

An uncharacteristic error from Smith on 32 minutes yielded the opening goal. The goalkeeper spilled Quashie's free kick from outside the left corner of the area, allowing the predatory Hartson, who scored a first-half hat-trick at Fir Park on the opening day of last season, to net the simplest of goals from close range.

The visitors were then gifted a gilt-edged second. Ellington, who had always looked West Brom's most likely source of a goal with his pace on the left wing, broke upfield two minutes from the interval, and McLean's attempt to divert the ball out for a corner saw him turn the ball into his own net.

McCormack made his home debut in the second half in place of Scott McDonald, and the released Rangers striker came agonisingly close to proving a point to the watching Le Guen. Jim Hamilton managed to stay onside to rampage up the right wing and sent in a cross which was palmed away by Zuberbuhler. McCormack was onto the ball in a flash but blasted his close-range effort over the bar.

The home side created more chances in the second half - "we played better, but they were worse," was Malpas' assessment - but it took until the 73rd minute for a much-needed goal to arrive when they reduced the deficit courtesy of Steven McGarry's first strike for the club. Brian Kerr sent a cross into the penalty box where it was headed down by Hamilton for Paterson, and with his back to goal, he passed to McGarry who stroked it into the net.

Motherwell then looked lively in the search for a late equaliser, and came closest with two McCormack free kicks from 30 yards out. The first curled easily into Zuberbuhler's arms but the second, after a foul on Phil O'Donnell two minutes from time, required an excellent save from the international goalkeeper, who dived to his right to palm the ball to safety.