GETTING STUCK IN...Campbell dispossesses Lundekvam

ALBION missed the chance to lift themselves off the bottom for the first time since November 27 but in the end were grateful for a point in this battle of the Premiership's basement boys.

A win would have moved Bryan Robson's men above visitors Southampton and Norwich into 18th spot, yet it was Harry Redknapp's men who will have felt more aggrieved at finishing all square.

On-loan Wolves striker Henri Camara, Nigel Quashie and David Prutton failed to polish off three golden chances late on as the Baggies ran out of steam on another nerve-shredding night of Hawthorns drama.

The draw stretched Albion's unbeaten home run to five games and moved them within four points of fourth-from-bottom Palace before their next game against Blues on Sunday week.

Boss Bryan Robson made three changes to the side dumped out of the FA Cup by Tottenham ten days ago. The cup-tied Kieran Richardson, suspended Jonathan Greening and top scorer Robert Earnshaw returned to replace benched duo Riccardo Scimeca and Jason Koumas, plus Kanu, who missed out altogether.

The stakes could not have been higher as bottom-of-the-table Albion entertained the 19th-placed Saints - and the game

IT'S MINE...Keeper Hoult ploughs through team-mate Campbell and Lundekvam to challenge for a Saints cross

kicked off in a cauldron of noise.

In a surprisingly end-to-end opening, the first half-chance arrived in the eighth minute when, after Zoltan Gera's free-kick had crashed into the Southampton wall, skipper Kevin Campbell let fly from 15 yards.

The ex-Everton hitman's instinctive strike seemed destined for the visitors' net - only for Saints defender Andreas Jakobsson to stick out a boot inside his own six-yard box and divert the ball away from danger.

Redknapp's men hit back in the 13th minute when Albion enjoyed a lucky escape of their own.

Camara narrowly beat Russell Hoult to strike partner Peter Crouch's head down from Graeme Le Saux's cross but his close-range effort bounced back off the post and the Baggies cleared.

Saints keeper Paul Smith was called into action moments later when he did well to palm over Richardson's viciously dipping free-kick from the edge of the box.

The action continued to swing from end to end and Camara's pace caused Albion more problems in the 23rd minute.

NO WAY THROUGH...Lundekvam keeps a close eye on Wallwork

Prutton's ball over the top caught the home defence napping and the Senegalese striker raced clear before lobbing the helpless Hoult - caught in no man's land - but wide of the gaping net.

Back came Albion and this time it was the Saints goal that lived a charmed life.

Richardson twice went close in the space of 30 seconds when he first saw his goalbound effort from Martin Albrechtsen's pull back blocked on the edge of the six-yard box by Claus Lundekvam.

The on-loan Manchester United midfielder then unleashed a stunning 30-yard drive which almost snapped the beaten Smith's bar in two before bouncing to safety.

Hoult came to Albion's rescue at the other end when he showed superb reflexes to palm Camara's free eight-yard header over from Le Saux's left-wing centre in the final action of the half.

Albion stormed out of the blocks after the break and, just like in the first-half, Smith had to be alert to punch away another swirling Richardson free-kick.

A swift Baggies breakaway - sparked by Thomas Gaardsoe's crunching tackle on

HEADS YOU WIN...Gera locks horns with Le Saux

Quashie and featuring Gera, Ronne Wallwork and Campbell - then resulted in Earnshaw curling a shot inches wide of Smith's far post.

Albion continued to peg Southampton back inside their own half as the game passed the hour mark but were guilty of failing to convert numerous promising positions into goalscoring chances.

Then, out of the blue, the Saints carved out - and wasted - the best chance of the game in the 67th minute.

The jet-heeled Camara left Gaardsoe for dead as he raced on to Olivier Bernard's throughball and looked certain to score when, with just Hoult to beat, he pulled the trigger from ten yards.

But, to the Baggies' great relief, the former Celtic loanee wastefully blazed high into the Brummie Road End.

The Saints created another gilt-edged opportunity four minutes later when Le Saux found Quashie in space in the b

AERIAL ASSAULT...Campbell challenges Jakobsson

ox, only for the ex-Pompey man to fire straight at Hoult from 12 yards and the chance went begging.

The visitors' wasteful finishing continued when, from Bernard's sublime centre, Prutton blazed high and wide from just six yards.

ALBION (4-4-2): Hoult; Albrechtsen, Gaardsoe, Clement, Robinson; Gera (Scimeca 81), Wallwork, Richardson (Koumas 74), Greening; Campbell, Earnshaw. Subs not used: Kuszczak (gk), Horsfield, Purse.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): Smith; Delap, Lundekvam, Jakobsson, Bernard; Prutton, Redknapp, Quashie, Le Saux; Crouch, Camara. Subs not used: Poke (gk), Phillips, Higginbotham, Telfer, Davenport.

BOOKINGS: ALBION - Richardson (34, foul), Gera (45+1, foul). SOUTHAMPTON - Bernard (47, foul), Redknapp (58, foul).

REFEREE: M Riley (Leeds).

ATTENDANCE: 25,865

ALBION STARMAN: Kieran Richardson

(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)