September 28: Leicester 0 Albion 0

10:50am Tuesday 18th July 2006

Sometimes an image can be far more revealing than any words.

The snapshot which summed up Albion's seventh draw out of 11 in the Championship came after the final whistle.

Albion coach Dean White put a consoling arm around Dean Hammond as the midfielder disconsolately trudged off.

Hammond, returning from a virus, knew he had spurned a glorious opening to give the Seagulls their first away win of the season when he headed wide from three yards out in the 77th minute from Sebastien Carole's cross.

It was unquestionably the best chance in a match which gradually improved after a dull first half-hour.

Albion looked at their most dangerous in the last 20 minutes, when the game opened up, and it is a measure of their improvement that Mark McGhee's satisfaction with a point was tinged with disappointment by not taking all three.

Albion welcomed back Hammond from a virus which continues to rule out Gary Hart.

Hammond came in for the injured Richard Carpenter and Colin Kazim-Richards was restored to the starting line-up at the expense of Jake Robinson.

Leicester manager Craig Levein rang the changes after Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Queens Park Rangers.

England under-19 international rightback Richard Stearman replaced Alan Maybury, who picked up an automatic three-match suspension for his red card against Rangers.

Former Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas was a late withdrawal with an ankle injury, so Paul Henderson was handed his League debut.

Club captain Danny Tiatto and central midfielder Gareth Williams also came back in, knocks restricting the veteran Dion Dublin and Momo Sylla to the bench.

The silence of the home fans in the early stages was an indication of Leicester's laboured start to the season.

Albion looked extremely comfortable for an away side in a chanceless opening period.

Maybury lasted only 20 minutes on Saturday and Tiatto almost suffered a similar fate.

The combative midfielder had already been cautioned for a reckless tackle on fellow Australian Paul Reid when he went through the back of Charlie Oatway in an aerial challenge.

Tiatto escaped with a stern and lengthy lecture from referee Darren Drysdale.

Neither goalkeeper was troubled until the 36th minute and even then Wayne Henderson had only to make a routine save from a low shot by Mark de Vries after Leicester's giant centre forward combined with his partner Iain Hume.

This provoked a more positive spell from the home side and Stephen Hughes fired narrowly wide from 20 yards.

Hume wasted a good chance to put the Foxes ahead in the 41st minute. Williams found him in space just inside the Albion area but the Canadian international, signed from Tranmere last month for £750,000, lost control of the ball at the vital moment before skewing his effort well wide.

Leicester again went close to ending the stalemate before the break when Stearman galloped forward to shoot just wide from outside the box.

The Seagulls created little themselves until the dying stages of the half when Kazim-Richards, latching on to a long pass from Albert Jarrett, lifted the ball over the advancing Paul Henderson but Patrick McCarthy was back to cover.

Albion somehow survived 11 minutes into the second half when McShane lost his footing inside the area, presenting de Vries with a clear chance from Hume's cute pass.

Wayne Henderson kept out the big target man's shot with his left leg and the ball was eventually cleared from close to the line by Kerry Mayo as it trickled goalwards.

Joey Gudjonsson tried to induce a breakthrough with brute force, Leicester's Icelandic midfielder exploding a 30-yarder which Wayne Henderson did well to beat away.

As the game became more stretched, so the opportunities for Albion to hit Leicester on the break increased.

In one such instance, with a quarter of the contest remaining, Carole drove narrowly wide from 20 yards after Reid won possession inside his own half with a firm challenge on Tiatto.

Hammond spurned a gilt-edged opportunity to put Albion in front 13 minutes from time, nodding wide at the far post from three yards out from Carole's cross.

Leicester substitute Sylla, on for Tiatto, forced Wayne Henderson to parry at his near post with a fierce angled drive as a subdued encounter finally came to life.

Another well-earned away point was not enough to stop the Seagulls dropping two places to 19th, due to wins for last Saturday's hosts Burnley and this Saturday's visitors Norwich.

As McGhee remarked, a draw at Leicester will look even better if they beat the Canaries, less so if they lose. It is at Withdean that the Seagulls really need to start winning games.

• Leicester: (4-4-2): P. Henderson; Stearman, McCarthy, Johansson, Kisnorbo; Hughes, Williams, Gudjonsson, Tiatto; de Vries, Hume. Subs: Sylla for Tiatto (withdrawn 75), Dublin for de Vries (withdrawn 57), E. Hammond for Hughes (withdrawn 82), Gerrbrand, Logan.
• Albion (4-4-2): W. Henderson 8; Reid 7, McShane 8, Butters 9, Mayo 6; Carole 6, Oatway 7, D. Hammond 6, Jarrett 7; Kazim-Richards 6, Knight 6. Subs: Nicolas, Frutos for Jarrett (withdrawn 86), Robinson, Blayney, Elphick.
• Matchfacts
• - Shots on goal: Albion 5, Leicester 6.

- Shots off goal: Albion 3, Leicester 6.

- Corners: Albion 2, Leicester 8.

- Offside: Albion 2, Leicester 4.

- Free-kicks: Albion 12, Leicester 9.

• Albion booking: Carole (60, diving).
• Leicester bookings: Tiatto (19, foul), Dublin (82, not retreating).
• Albion scorers: None
• Leicester scorers: None

Editor's Choice