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THREESY DOES IT...Earnie counts his Valley goal tally |
Bryan Robson's men kept their nerve against ten-man Charlton to take advantage of Talal El Karkouri's 28th-minute sending-off.
Geoff Horsfield had given the visitors a ninth-minute lead with his first goal in six months but the seventh-placed Addicks levelled 15 minutes later through Jonatan Johansson in a helter-skelter affair.
It looked like Alan Curbishley's men might hold out until Earnshaw turned the game on its head as he helped Albion score more than two goals for the first time in a Barclays Premiership fixture.
And it was all thanks to a devastating display of marksmanship as the Welsh international kept his cool to fire home 73rd and 84th-minute strikes before stepping up to the penalty spot to complete a memorable treble and take his tally for the season to 13.
The game kicked off in glorious sunshine and Albion's sell-out 3,000 travelling supporters, who helped make up the biggest crowd at The Valley for 27 years, were in fine voice as they packed the Jimmy Steed Stand behind Russell Hoult's goal.
And, with the majority of them buoyed by T-Mobile 'Great Escape' survival kits, handed to them on the 40 free coaches provided by the club, they were never more ready to get behind the Baggies' bid to start digging the tunnel to survival.
Robson picked the same starting XI that beat Blues 13 days ago and switched back to a more familiar 4-4-2 formation after Tuesday's adventurous 4-3-3 line-up against Chelsea.
Albion made a positive start and the recalled Jonathan Greening's left-wing cross somehow found its way through to Zoltan Gera, whose goalbound volley was blocked by Mark Fish in the fourth minute.
Ronnie Wallwork picked up the
rebound and made space for a low shot which Dean Kiely parried away to his left before Fish again cleared for a corner.
The Addicks quickly responded and Shaun Bartlett should have done better with Hermann Hreidarsson's centre but mistimed his volley and the danger passed.
Charlton looked shaky in the early stages and Paul Konchesky conceded possession to Greening who powered forward before unleashing a swerving shot which Kiely did well to turn away for a corner.
And Albion's early pressure paid off in the ninth minute when Hreidarsson's clearance was headed back by Martin Albrechtsen. Gera pulled off a superb volleyed cross to give Horsfield the chance to find the net with a diving header from close range.
Robson's men almost shot themselves in the foot six minutes later when Thomas Gaardsoe left his head-back to Hoult short and allowed Johansson to nip in for a clear sight of goal.
But the stranded Hoult pulled off a magnificent save as he somehow got his hand to the Finnish striker's shot and watched anxiously as the ball rolled inches wide of the goal.
Moments later, Gaardsoe made amends as his last-ditch challenge in the box denied Danny Murphy a clear goalscoring opportunity.
But the Danish defender's afternoon ended prematurely in the 22nd minute when he limped out of the action with a groin problem to give replacement Darren Moore his first senior action since December.
A minute later, Gera almost capitalised on a free-kick on the edge of the area after Fish had pulled Horsfield back.
The Hungary skipper curled a wicked shot over the wall but Kiely was equal to the test as he pulled off a superb one-handed save.
Albion's defensive change upset them momentarily and the hosts capitalised as Konchesky's ball split the defence to put Johansson through on goal.
Hoult won the race for the ball but his clearance rebounded off the Charlton hitman to give him the chance of a simple finish to level the scores in the 24th minute.
Charlton were reduced to ten men four minutes later when El Karkouri's two-footed lunge left Gera pole-axed and referee Mark Halsey had no hesitation in showing the Moroccan defender the red card.
Horsfield teed Kevin Campbell up with some neat control and a lay-off five minutes before the break but the former Everton striker's effort was blocked by a last-ditch Murphy tackle.
Seconds later, Wallwork dispossessed Murphy and fired in a blistering drive which Kiely spectacularly turned around the post.
But it was Alan Curbishley's side who almost took the lead in the 42nd minute when Wallwork's collision with Hoult saw the Baggies No.1 drop the ball and he needed Moore on the line to nod away Hreidarsson's goalbound header.
Robinson then won a 50/50 challenge with Jerome Thomas and raced clear to give Horsfield a chance in the penalty area.
But the Albion goalscorer's touch let him down and he could not lift the ball over the alert Kiely from a tight angle.
The visitors carved out the first chance of the second half as Campbell laid off the ball to Greening on the edge of the area.
Richardson was screaming for the ball in space to his left but Greening chose to shoot and the ball squirmed its way out to Robinson on the left, only for him to blaze wide of the near post from 15 yards.
Robinson had an ever better chance on the hour mark as Albion began making their one-man advantage count.
Campbell held up Wallwork's ball 20 yards out and laid it on for the Baggies full-back to drill in a low shot which Kiely held well.
Gera then sailed a 25-yard shot just past the right-hand upright with Kiely at full stretch.
Robson soon made a change as Richardson made way for Earnshaw in the 64th minute, with Albion switching to a 4-3-3 formation.
Wallwork failed to pressure Thomas as Charlton moved forward and the Addicks midfielder picked out Bartlett, who should have scored from close range but headed straight at Hoult.
But Albion's patience came to fruition in the 73rd minute as Gera sprayed the ball out to Robinson on the left. Ther over-lapping full-back's far post cross was headed back across goal by Horsfield and substitute Earnshaw nodded home from close range.
The Wales ace then beat the off-side trap in the 84th minute to latch onto Gera's perfect throughball and fire a neat finish over the on-rushing Kiely.
The afternoon got better and better when substitute Richard Chaplow, making his Premiership debut, was brought down by Bryan Hughes in the box.
Earnshaw stepped up to coolly complete his hat-trick in the penultimate minute and unleash a machine-gun style celebration in front of the jubilant Baggies hordes.
CHARLTON (4-5-1): Kiely; Young, Hreidarsson, Fish, El Karkouri; Johansson (Euell 70), Konchesky, Holland, Murphy (Rommedahl 78), Thomas; Bartlett (Hughes 83). Subs not used: Andersen (gk), Perry.
ALBION (4-4-2): Hoult; Albrechtsen, Gaardsoe (Moore 22), Clement, Robinson; Gera (Chaplow 87), Wallwork, Richardson (Earnshaw 64), Greening; Campbell, Horsfield. Subs not used: Kuszczak (gk), Kanu.
GOALS: CHARLTON - Johansson (24); ALBION - Horsfield (9), Earnshaw (73, 84, 89).
BOOKINGS: None.
SENDINGS-OFF: CHARLTON - El Karkouri (dangerous foul play 28).
REFEREE: M Halsey (Lancashire).
ATTENDANCE: 27,104.
ALBION STARMAN: Robert Earnshaw.
(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)
