West Bromwich 1 Birmingham City 1: Johnson's moment of magic lifts Blues

Making sense of the musical chairs game that is the Championship promotion race has long been a precarious occupation. In yesterday's latest shuffling, West Bromwich Albion conceded a late equaliser to Birmingham City's 10 men, having themselves lost in stoppage time when a player short last Wednesday.

The fact that the goal was a delicious one from Damien Johnson, who was out for two months after having his jaw broken by Albion's Paul Robinson at St Andrew's in October, merely thickened the plot. "A wonder goal," the managers agreed. Potentially massive, too, as it inched the Blues back up to second and may have ended their local rivals' hopes of automatic promotion.

"I've never been so gung-ho as to play 3-3-3 in a local derby before but that's how we finished,'' said Birmingham's manager, Steve Bruce. "I think that's Jonty's first goal in three years and it could be the turning point for us.''

Albion, top three weekends ago, stay sixth, now a point above seventh place, and are sliding following two draws and three defeats in five League games.

"We're lacking that cutting edge at the moment and have to work hard to re-find it,'' their manager, Tony Mowbray, admitted. "But results over the last week suggest we can still make the top two.''

Whatever the division lacks in quality - and this windswept Hawthorns lunchtime underlined that point clearly enough - is being compensated for in excitement.

Albion were well set when Paul McShane's accomplished finish just past the hour was followed two minutes later by Julian Gray's sending-off. In one of the more precise moves of a contest that was poor viewing for 45 minutes, Jason Koumas' low ball into the area was swept home left-footed by McShane. Gray, in his first Championship start since falling out of favour in the autumn, was the man tracking back unsuccessfully then and soon became the fourth player sent off in the past four Hawthorns' fixtures when he tripped the same player on a sprint into the area.

Nathan Ellington glanced a header wide from four yards when he should have put the game to bed before Birmingham, having gone closest at 0-0 when Rowan Vine was superbly denied by Dean Kiely, levelled four minutes from time.

Stephen Clemence's left-wing centre was helped on by Cameron Jerome for Johnson to volley left-footed past Kiely in a flash; the second time this season, you might say, the captain has got on the wrong side of Robinson. The way Bruce and his coaches celebrated on the pitch, Ferguson and Kidd style, suggested they may now consider Birmingham to be beyond the reach of a side they considered the team to catch.

Goals: McShane (63) 1-0; Johnson (86) 1-1.

West Bromwich Albion: (4-3-3): Kiely; McShane, Sodje, Clement, Robinson; Gera (MacDonald, 55), Koren, Greening; Koumas (Carter, 83), Ellington, Kamara. Substitutes not used: Daniels (gk), Phillips, Hodgkiss.

Birmingham City (4-4-2): Doyle; Kelly, Martin Taylor (Jerome, 75), Jaidi, Sadler; Johnson, Nuamba (Larsson, 82), Clemence, Gray; Bendtner, Vine (Campbell, 75). Substitutes not used: Maik Taylor (gk), Nafti.

Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire).

Booked: West Bromwich Albion Greening, McShane; Birmingham Clemence.

Sent off: Birmingham Gray.

Man of the match: Clemence.

Attendance: 21,434.