Fancy playing for Albion?

Every now and again Albion hit upon a good idea.

And this one is a belter.

The club are opening their doors to help find a potential next Hawthorns hero.

So if you're a lad of 14-16, can kick a ball straight, or know somebody who can and falls into that age group, then you may wish to know more.

The Baggies are offering open trials for boys aged between 14 and 16 later this month. It's an ideal opportunity to earn a full Baggies Academy trial.

The trials will take place at the club's indoor training facility off Halfords Lane.

Players must be in years nine, ten or 11 at school, hold a full European passport, be in full-time education and live within one-and-a-half hours of The Hawthorns.

* GOALKEEPERS - Must be slim with an athletic build, agile and have good handling skills.

* DEFENDERS - Must be quick with and without the ball, and competitive.

* MIDFIELDERS - Must be able to manipulate the ball in tight areas and execute a range of long and short passes.

* FORWARDS - Goalscorers, dribblers, target men or poachers.

Anyone interested MUST call Steve Hopcroft on 07961 704 595 and quote 'open trials'.

You will be given a date and time to attend - either Tuesday, October 27, or Thursday, October 29 - and the cost of the trial will be £10. For this you will receive a training T-shirt to keep and a ticket to an Albion first-team game.

If only they'd had something like this when I was a lad...(it probably wouldn't have made the blindest bit of difference)