Albion 1, Blackburn Rovers 0

Albion have acquired a knack under Chris Hughton in the early part of the season, especially at home, which is critical to success in the Championship.

The division promises to be even tighter and more congested than ever.

Twelve of the last 23 games have been draws, eight of them won by a one goal difference.

During the Amex era, even when Albion were doing well under Gus Poyet and Oscar Garcia, how many times did fans leave the stadium feeling their team had been hard done by, that a draw or even the occasional defeat should have been a victory?

This time they must have departed with a rare feeling of relief. Albion managed to grind out a win in a game they might well have lost.

The same was true of the draw at Huddersfield and victory at Fulham in spite of first half fluency, even to a lesser degree in beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 at home on the opening night.

In the Capital One Cup as well at Southend, Albion keep on coming out on the right side of the fine margins.

Long may it continue. By the law of averages it will not last forever, so the ten points from 12 accumulated against teams unlikely to be promoted or in the play-off places are a useful cushion when the journey becomes rather bumpier.

As Hughton remarked: "At this moment we're doing okay. I see for a good period of time in this division lots of draws, really close games, and I don't think there's anybody in this division that can't win on their day.

"We have just got to make sure, certainly in this period where we are going okay, to win how ever we can."

Hughton cannot, in his wildest dreams, have imagined Albion would, in the last game before the transfer window closes and the first international shut-down, be tackling the only team above them.

Certainly not prior to the re-signing of Bobby Zamora ahead of Forest's visit, which launched another surge of transfer activity after a lull induced widespread apprehension about the team's prospects.

Ipswich at Portman Road will be the toughest test yet, a more dependable barometer of Albion's challenging chances, but you would not bet against them rising to it the way things have gone so far.

They could not have chosen a better time to face Rovers, with the lethal Jordan Rhodes out injured and the visitors' plans thrown into disarray by morning sickness.

Defender Adam Henley and midfielder Jason Lowe's absences meant they could only name six substitutes after travelling from Lancashire with 19 players.

Losing right-back Henley was particularly damaging for them and helpful for Albion. Winger Ben Marshall, who was wanted by the Seagulls, had to play there.

He did a pretty good job, even though Kazenga LuaLua was the matchwinner for the third time in five matches, and demonstrated early in the second half his considerable ability with a 35-yard which swerved and dipped onto the roof of the net protected so competently by David Stockdale.

As Hughton rightly obeserved, the keeper made two pivotal saves, using his legs to deny former Seagull Craig Conway in the first half and Nathan Delfouneso after the break when they were both clean through.

A strong right hand from the diving Stockdale also foiled French striker Fode Koita's low drive early on.

In marked contrast to the opening 45 minutes at both Huddersfield and Fulham, Albion laboured in the heat in the first half.

They were loose in possession and unworthy of their lead at the interval, provided by LuaLua with a right-foot shot helped by a deflection off the covering Grant Hanley.

A combination of Dale Stephens, breaking into the box, and Sam Baldock set LuaLua up, a rare example of incisive attacking play.

The second half was better. Albion defended with more security in repelling the long throw bombardment from Tommy Spurr and general set piece threat from Rovers.

They finally tested Stockdale's counterpart, David Raya, twice in swift succession, the airborne young Spaniard flinging himself across his line to foil a flick from Tomer Hemed and parrying an angled shot from Stephens.

In the final half-hour Shane Duffy, Blackburn's imposing central defender, could then should have equalised.

His first header from a corner was cleared off the line by Jamie Murphy, making a subdued debut in attacking terms but a vital contribution to preserving the lead.

In injury time Duffy, thrown up front, nodded over the angle from six yards from Conway's teasing delivery.

Hughton, thankfully, does not follow a modern trend for posts to be unguarded at set plays. "It's always a judgement call," he said.

"There isn't any right or wrong. Some will mark man-for-man, some zonal, some will have nobody on the back post. All the clubs I've had I've generally defended the same way.

"They caught us on a day when we weren't at our best on the ball. Then you are looking at other qualities, being defensively strong and resilient and a goalkeeper that can pull out a couple of really important saves, and that's what he did."

Not playing well but winning is an encouraging sign heading into the final week of the transfer window, when Albion will be trying to add further to the squad rather than losing Lewis Dunk to Fulham or the Premier League, or Stephens to Derby.

Hughton said: "I think we'll all be quite pleased once the first of September is over.

"In this division there are so many twists and turns. What we have done is started well. We'd rather be at this end of the table than where we were for a lot of last season.

"By the time we finish the window then I think you have a reasonable idea how well you can compete. There are some teams in this division spending big and you tend to feel the ones that have not started so well will gather some momentum."

Which makes early season narrow wins all the more valuable.