ALBION produced a spirited fight-back to bag a precious point at promotion-rivals Charlton.
The Valley stalemate meant Tony Mowbray's men missed the chance to leapfrog Watford into third spot - but they could count themselves unlucky not to win the game after a stirring late surge.
Greg Halford headed the hosts in front on the half-hour mark in what was a wet and windy encounter in front of the live TV cameras.
But top gun Kevin Phillips levelled three minutes before the break with his 21st strike of the season - scoring for the third successive away game.
The Baggies dominated the second-half and Zoltan Gera's ferocious 89th-minute volley was worthy of winning any match - but cruelly thundered back off the crossbar.
Carl Hoefkens and Bostjan Cesar were restored to the Albion defence in place of Shelton Martis and the injured Leon Barnett respectively.
Mowbray made three other changes as Pele, Phillips and Ishmael Miller replaced Do-heon Kim, Roman Bednar and Luke Moore in the Baggies' starting XI.
Charlton threatened as early as the second minute when Martin Albrechtsen lost his footing, allowing Nicky Weaver's long punt to bounce all the way through to Leroy Lita.
The on-loan striker looked sure to open his Addicks account until good pressure from Hoefkens forced him to scuff a tame effort straight at Dean Kiely from just inside the area.
The hosts' next effort on goal came in the 13th minute when Halford curled a 25-yard free-kick just wide of the right-hand post. Kiely appeared to have it covered.
Four minutes later, it was Albion doing the attacking when Miller found Phillips on the edge of the area, but the Championship top scorer's goalbound strike was blocked by former Baggie Sam Sodje.
Ben Thatcher then blocked Robert Koren's follow-up strike from the right-hand side of the box and the Charlton left-back recovered to get in the way of Jonathan Greening's 20-yard effort.
Thatcher's left-wing cross in the 22nd minute found its way to Andy Gray at the near post - but the former Burnley hitman could only direct the ball wide.
Jerome Thomas managed to find room to fire in a left-wing cross in the 28th minute but Darren Ambrose could only direct a free header over the bar.
The Baggies fell behind on the half-hour mark when Ambrose floated a simple free-kick into the box.
Halford rose highest to direct a weak header into the bottom left-hand corner and inches past Kiely's despairing dive.
Two minutes later, Halford's long throw-in from the right was flicked on to Thomas, who miscued his volley horribly wide at the back post.
Back came Albion and Greening's raking crossfield free-kick allowed Paul Robinson to cut the ball back to Phillips, who anticipated well to send a 12-yard header wide of the left-hand upright.
Thomas had Hoefkens twisting and turning in the 38th minute and he eventually managed to get a shot in, which deflected off the Albion defender and out for a corner.
The visitors gradually worked their way back into the game and equalised in the 42nd minute.
Gera beat Thatcher at the back post to head down Greening's left-wing free-kick for Phillips.
The former England man coolly took a touch before slotting the ball off the underside of the crossbar from ten yards.
Three minutes later, Pele could only glance Thomas' right-wing centre into the path of Sodje.
The centre-half's first touch took him clear of the Albion defence while his second sent the ball over from 15 yards.
Phillips then tried his luck with a 30-yard free-kick which flew just wide of the left-hand post in the third minute of stoppage time.
Within four minutes of the restart, Thomas fired the ball in to Lita who sent his volley well wide of the near post.
Matt Holland was then allowed a free strike from just outside the box which deflected well wide for a corner.
From the resulting right-wing flag-kick, Lita's overhead kick was bravely blocked by Robinson.
Thomas then pounced on Hoefkens' poor clearance and curled an 18-yard effort inches wide of the right-hand post.
But Albion regrouped and began dictating the play.
In the 52nd minute, Weaver slipped as he stretched to keep Sodje's back header in on the left byline.
Phillips pinched the ball and, with Weaver in no man's land, crossed for Miller, who came within inches of nodding into the empty net.
A minute later, Sodje rose highest from Ambrose's left-wing corner but saw his header loop onto the roof of the net.
Gera broke free at the near post from Greening's left-wing flag-kick in the 58th minute and headed wide.
On the hour-mark, Gera turned Thatcher on the edge of the box and struck a low left-foot shot just past the left-hand post, with Weaver panicked.
Four minutes later, Miller raced through onto Phillips' pass and coolly slotted the ball home, only for his effort to be adjudged offside.
Gera's sloppy ball allowed Thomas to spring forward in the 66th minute and, had Robinson not made a vital last-ditch challenge, Lita would have had a simple tap-in.
Gera beat Thatcher in the air from Koren's right-wing cross in the 75th minute but his header lacked the power to beat Weaver.
Four minutes later, Phillips pounced on a loose ball 25 yards out and struck a dipping volley just over.
Seconds later, Paddy McCarthy's last-ditch clearance prevented Phillips getting on the end of Koren's centre as Albion piled on the pressure.
Gera then slotted Koren through in the box and McCarthy again blocked as the Slovenia international fired goalwards.
From the resulting Greening corner, substitute Bednar sent a near-post header wide.
In the final minute, Gera unleashed a terrific 20-yard volley which beat Weaver all ends up - only to thunder off the crossbar.
Albion continued to press for a winner during the dying minutes but had to settle for a hard-fought point.
CHARLTON (4-4-2): Weaver; Halford, McCarthy, Sodje, Thatcher; Ambrose (Cook 79), Semedo (Zhi 64), Holland, Thomas; Gray, Lita (Iwelumo 71). Subs not used: Elliot (gk), Fortune.
ALBION (4-1-3-2): Kiely; Hoefkens, Albrechtsen, Cesar, Robinson; Pele; Gera, Greening, Koren; Miller (Bednar 76), Phillips. Subs not used: Danek (gk), Kim, Martis, Slusarski.
GOALS: CHARLTON - Halford (30). ALBION - Phillips (42).
BOOKINGS: CHARLTON - Semedo (foul 45+3). ALBION - Gera (foul 44), Greening (foul 45+1), Phillips (dissent 85).
REFEREE: K Friend (Leicestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 23,412.
ALBION STARMAN: Zoltan Gera.
PIC: ALL SQUARE...Phillips celebrates his goal at The Valley
