Charlton Athletic 1, Albion 3

Albion have coped with everything the unforgiving Championship has chucked at them this season.

Relentlessly competitive opponents, long-term injuries to key players, a nosedive in results over the Christmas period.

Now balloons, beach balls, loo rolls and a smoke bomb can be added to the list of obstacles hurled in pursuit of the Premier League dream.

It was nothing personal. Chris Hughton's team were accidental victims, the opposition in the home game after Charlton's relegation had been confirmed.

They walked into a potential Valley of death to their promotion hopes - at least the automatic variety - and came out the other side with not just a precious victory but a bonus provided by the doggedness of Ipswich, managed by Hughton's former Republic of Ireland buddy Mick McCarthy.

A combination of Albion's ninth win of an unbeaten 11-game surge and Middlesbrough's 0-0 home draw with Ipswich has created gridlock at the top of the table.

Burnley, Boro and the Seagulls divided only by goal differences sufficiently similar they could yet be overturned with two games to go.

Who writes these scripts? Who would dare predict the outcome with any confidence, with a Masters in maths required to accumulate all the possible permutations which still remain?

Take Albion in isolation. The only certainty is beat Derby at the Amex next Monday and Boro in their own backyard five days later and the 3,000 fans in South-East London can look forward to a lot more shorter away journeys next season.

Four points will be enough - providing three of them are at Boro - even one point could be.

All the drama and brain-teasing is no consolation to Charlton followers, although they have another role to play in it at home to Burnley on the final day.

They were intent on venting their frustrations at owner Roland Duchatelet, who is threatening to re-write that old gag about naming ten famous Belgians.

Roles could be about to be reversed (In 2006-07 Charlton were in the Premier League, Albion League One).

Albion fans, respectful of the support they received from Charlton during their own fight against a despised regime two decades ago, backed the protests before, during and after the match.

It was a surreal state of affairs as Hughton's players, meanwhile, had to try to concentrate on the huge prize at stake.

It was not easy, they did not play particularly well and the result flattered them, but who cares?

Opening scorer Sam Baldock summed it up with a one-word response to the most impressive aspect of Albion's performance - winning.

 

They have found a way to win in the last five matches since that galling, last-gasp equaliser for Burnley at the Amex without being at their best.

At Birmingham two set plays after falling behind, at Forest in injury time. Against Fulham at home second-best for 25 minutes before a rout launched by a penalty.

Against QPR at home, nothing in it for 45 minutes until a stunning free-kick and spectacular striker either side of half-time sparked another handsome margin of success.

The wide men, Jiri Skalak and Anthony Knockaert, prominent throughout this devastating haul of 15 points and 16 goals, came good again.

Albion's challenge for a top two finish was in serious jeopardy when Johann Gudmundsson equalised for Charlton early in the second half.

The defence was in rare disarray as Gudmundsson found a gaping goal after Igor Vetokele was blocked from converting Jordan Cousins' cut-back.

It was the second goal cheered by Charlton supporters. They also welcomed Baldock's second minute tap-in at the far post from a Skalak free-kick knocked across the face of the six-yard box by Connor Goldson.

That came after the first of several interruptions which disrupted Albion's search for fluency and resulted, in the end, in a quarter-of-an-hour of stoppage time, seven minutes in the first half, eight in the second.

An afternoon which could have gone horribly wrong for them was turned by a four-man move finished off in style again by Skalak, just three minutes after Charlton had restored parity.

Linked passes between three of the season-long influences, Dale Stephens, Tomer Hemed and Beram Kayal, opened up the home defence for Skalak to curl accurately, right-footed, into the top corner.

It was nowhere near as far out and nowhere near as spectacular as his thunderbolt against QPR last week but it was even more valuable, regaining a lead rather than doubling one.

Hughton appreciated its significance. "The big moment was our second goal," he said. "They got back into the game and when they got the equaliser probably deserved it.

"The fact we got the second goal so quickly afterwards was a major reason why we went on to win."

The win was still a while coming. News had filtered through of the two points dropped by Boro before 90 minutes had even elapsed.

Excruciating tension created by the capacity for Albion to yet follow suit was extinguished deep into stoppage time, Konckaert inducing a rash challenge from fellow Frenchman Rod Fanni and Hemed doing the rest from the spot, his 17th goal of the season.

Game over and game on. The twists and turns will now continue through to the final day, probably the final kick the way the race has developed.

Albion remain the underdogs, just, but they are ready, whether it's a celebration in the North-East on May 7, another home game after or another match after that at Wembley.

There are no surprises left which they are incapable of overcoming.