Baggies fail to bridge the great divide

TONY MOWBRAY knows that his hold on Premier League status is slipping by the week, but the West Bromwich manager is determined not to go quietly.

The Albion manager could not hide his annoyance at not playing “on a level playing field” after this result, which all but confirms the club’s demotion to the Championship. Robert Koren’s drive, which deflected in off Danny Shittu to cancel out Matt Taylor’s well-struck opener, might have spared Albion ultimate embarrassment but a seven-point gap looks too wide to make up at this late stage.

Mowbray is aware most of Albion’s opponents have splashed out big sums of money on players, as highlighted by Saturday’s opponents Bolton who spent more than £8million on Sweden striker Johan Elmander last summer.