Football
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West Brom's fringe players frustrate coach Alan Irvine after cup defeat

Alan Irvine claimed he sent a "team full of first-team players" into West Brom's 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat at Bournemouth.

The West Brom boss defended the decision to make 10 changes to his starting lineup that backfired in the defeat to the Championship side at Dean Court.

Eunan O'Kane and Callum Wilson fired Bournemouth to their first-ever League Cup quarterfinal, despite Tommy Elphick's own goal briefly levelling the scores.

Boss Irvine slammed his Albion fringe players for wasting their chance to impress, admitting his side failed to make their quality count.

"It was a team full of first-team players, who train as a first-team group every day," said Irvine. "They need to grab those opportunities and get the benefit of a game like that as well.

"We have a squad of players who are all Premier League players, they are players who are all at a high level. It wasn't a team of kids put out there: it was a team that if played to the best of their ability they should have got a result.

"It was an opportunity for a number of our players who have been desperate for a game to go out and play well and show me they should be in contention for the Premier League games. Some of them did but not enough of them.

"I'm fully aware of Bournemouth's quality. I said prior to this that this would be an extremely difficult game, and that's how it turned out. But I'm not hanging any players out to dry: not enough played well and there are a number capable of better.

"Some players did themselves a favour, some didn't."

Delighted Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe hailed his players for shrugging off Albion's late equaliser, Wilson almost immediately racing up the other end to fire the winner.

Howe claimed the decisive strike when Bournemouth saw off Albion 1-0 in the FA Cup third round in 1999. The former Cherries defender admitted managing the club to a Premier League giant killing proved the more exhilarating feeling.

"We really didn't want extra time," said Howe. "It really pleased me we had the mentality to stay strong, score and see out the game. That shows how strong we are.

"Nothing beats this feeling; not that win against Albion I played in. When you score a goal as a player it's an unbelievable feeling. But after some dark days for the club in the past, to be in a quarterfinal, is fantastic."

If Irvine was left to defend his

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