Part of the fascination of English football is its enduring capacity to confound the form book.

So it proved at the Walkers Stadium last night as Albion, embroiled in a relegation battle, denied runaway leaders Leicester a club record equalling ninth straight home win in League One.

The Seagulls were good value for a point. Their display was brimming with discipline and diligence and they limited Leicester to few opportunities.

If only they could transmit their away form to Withdean. They have now only lost once in the last six matches on their travels – at Tranmere in stoppage time.

Remarkably, they have now also taken four points off Leicester after their victory at Withdean three months ago.

Albion decided discretion was the better part of valour with Adam Virgo.

He was sidelined by a calf injury sustained in Saturday’s 2-2 comeback at Cheltenham, where he influenced the outcome when pushed up front for the second half.

A gamble with Glenn Murray’s fitness backfired against Leeds recently so they took no chances with Virgo.

Nicky Forster started alone up front in his absence, Jason Jarrett making his debut in a five-man midfield.

David Livermore and Dean Cox, who were brought on at half-time at Cheltenham, both started this time, in Livermore’s case for the first time since November in the problem left-back position.

The depth of Leicester’s squad was emphasised by the singular change forced upon Nigel Pearson following Saturday’s 4-2 victory at home to Huddersfield.

The unwell Steve Howard was replaced by another experienced striker with a top flight pedigree in Paul Dickov.

The system adopted by Micky Adams on his return to his old club was designed to make life as difficult as possible for Leicester, Adam El-Abd occupying a holding role just in front of the back four.

The game plan had the desired effect in the opening quarter of the contest. Not only were the leaders stifled in their attacking intent but the crowd soon became a little frustrated as well.

The only early scare came from a predictable source.

The prolific Matty Fryatt has been terrorrising League One defences all season, including Albion’s.

Two of his goals came in the remarkable match at Withdean in October, when the Seagulls recovered from 2-0 behind at the break to win 3-2.

Fryatt got the better of Adam Hinshelwood, Saturday’s late equalising hero, in the 13th minute.

He headed straight for goal but the angle was unkind and John Sullivan made a fairly routine save by his near post.

The next meaningful contribution from Albion’s young custodian, on the half-hour, was anything but routine.

A long-range shot by Andy King deflected off Tommy Elphick and looped over Sullivan against the bar.

Fryatt seized on the rebound but Sullivan made an exceptional reaction save from his header.

That lifted the home fans and Leicester became appreciably more menacing approaching the interval, although Albion held firm.

They showed limited ambition themselves but still posed the occasional threat through Forster.

The ever-willing skipper sliced one shot wide from 20 yards and had another, from the edge of the area, held low down by keeper David Martin Little was seen of Jarrett in the opening 45 minutes but, six minutes into the restart, he was close to a debut goal against one of the 13 clubs he has served from Albion’s best move of the match.

A long diagonal ball by Elphick was headed on by Forster into the path of Cox. His dangerous cross was cut out with some difficulty by a combination of Martin and Jack Hobbs, with Jarrett lurking beyond them.

It was encouraging to see Jarrett breaking into the box. He was the most forward-thinking of the midfielders and, at 6ft, his height also comes in useful in both penalty areas.

The Seagulls re-emerged with growing confidence, although they were grateful again for Sullivan’s sharp reflexes in the 62nd minute, when he kept out Dickov’s sprawling header from a cross by captain Matt Oakley.

If anything, they looked marginally more likely to break the deadlock for much of the second half. A long- range drive from Chris Birchall was palmed away by the diving Martin and Elphick had a header from a Cox corner deflected behind.

Leicester’s agitation at failing to justify the yawning gap between the teams in the table was not helped when centre-half Michael Morrison headed wide from a teasing cross by Tom Cleverley 12 minutes from time.

Hearts were in mouths six minutes later when King’s shot from 30 yards skimmed the outside of Sullivan’s right-hand post via a deflection.

Fryatt, of all people, spurned one last chance for Leicester when he fired over from Cleverley’s cross. That would have been horribly cruel on Albion on a night when they were worthy of parity.

ALBION (4-5-1): Sullivan; Whing, Elphick, Hinshelwood, Livermore; Birchall, Fraser, Jarrett, El-Abd, Cox; Forster.

Subs: Loft for Cox (withdrawn, 87), Kuipers, McLeod, Hawkins, Fleetwood.

Yellow cards:None.

Red cards: None.

Leicester (4-4-2): Martin; Gilbert, Morrison, Hobbs, Berner; Oakley, Cleverley, King, Dyer; Fryatt, Dickov.

Subs: Mattock for Berner (withdrawn, 53), Hayles for Dickov (withdrawn, 73), Pentney, Gradel, Chambers.

Yellow cards: None.

Red cards: None.

Can this result kick-start Albion's season?