HOW Chief Soccer Writer Gordon Sharrock reported live for this website.

14:37: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2003

BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP

WEST BROM V Wanderers

SAM Allardyce resisted the temptation to field any of his trio of new loan signings when he stuck with the winning formula for the big relegation clash with Gary Megson's Baggies at The Hawthorns.

The Wanderers' boss kept the same line-up that kicked off the 4-2 Reebok victory over Birmingham to ease the pressure, electing to start with his two new strikers, Salva Ballesta and Pierre-Yves Andre, on the subs' bench.

That meant no place in the squad for Delroy Facey, whose first Premiership goal - Wanderers' fourth - put the icing on the cake last weekend.

There was no place either for Andre's fellow Frenchman, the Lyon central defender, Florent Laville.

Albion defender Phil Gilchrist passed a fitness test on a foot injury but striker Lee Hughes, who was unable to train after being laid low by a flu virus following the Baggies' 2-1 win at Manchester City, only managed a place on the bench.

Albion: Hoult; Clement, McInnes, Moore, Gilchrist, Wallwork, Dichio, Roberts, Gregan, Koumas, Chambers. Subs: A Johnson, Hughes, Sigurdsson, Udeze, Murphy.

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; N'Gotty, Bergsson, Campo, Charlton, Mendy, Frandsen, Okocha, Gardner, Djorkaeff, Pedersen. Subs: Nolan, Andre, Ballesta, Barness, Poole.

Referee: David Elleray (Harrow).

16:01: WEST BROM 0 WANDERERS 1

Half-time

HENRIK Pedersen was on target for the second time in successive games as Wanderers took the initiative with an impressive first half show at The Hawthorns.

The determined Dane, who claimed his fourth of the season in the 4-2 victory over Birmingham, pouned in the 19th minute at close range after Baggies' keeper Russell Hoult pushed Youri Djorkaeff's shot into his path at the end of a storming 40-yard break by Berbnard Mendy.

It was no more than Wanderers deserved for a positive, high-tempo start to a tense game in which they repeatedly played their way into good positions only to waste opportunities with poor crosses.

Albion, who had two penalty appeals turned down, surrounded referee David Elleray at the end of the first period after Jussi Jaaskelainen got himself into a spot of trouble with a rash clearance, which Danny Dichio charged down. The keeper brought Dichio down then, as Jason Koumas fired a free kick towards the unguarded goal, Ivan Campo cleared off the line to rescue Wanderers but not Jaaskelainen who was booked for the foul - a decision the home crowd and players felt should have been a sending off.

17:01: WEST BROM 1 WANDERERS 1

OLD habits returned to haunt Wanderers when they were denied a vital victory by Andy Johnson's injury-time equaliser.

They had fought a desperate rearguard action in a nailbiting second half as they tried hard to hang onto the lead Henrik Pedersen had earned in the 19th minute of a much more positive first period.

And they looked like hanging on and moving seven points clear of the Baggies in the relegation scrap, surviving when Sean Gregan hit the post and Jussi Jaaskelainen brilliantly denied Lee Hughes. But in the second of three minutes over-time, Johnson forced the ball home at close range to leave Wanderers deflated.

Sam Allardyce will argue they could have sealed it before then, however, with Ricardo Gardner, Jay Jay Okocha and Pedersen all having opportunities on the counter-attack.

Albion: Hoult; Gregan, Moore, Gilchrist; Chambers, McInnes, Wallwork, Koumas, Clement; Dichio, Roberts, Gregan, Koumas, Chambers. Subs: Udeze for Gilchrist (71 mins), Hughes for Roberts (77 mins), Johnson for McInnes (77 mins). Not used: Sigurdsson, Murphy.

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; Bergsson, Campo, N'Gotty; Mendy, Okocha, Frandsen, Gardner, Mendy; Djorkaeff, Pedersen. Subs: Nolan for Djorkaeff (73) mins, Salva for Pedersen (80 mins), Andre for Okocha (85 mins). Not used: Barness, Poole.

Referee: David Elleray (Harrow).