While Bas Savage was out shopping, his replacement went on a New Year spree of his own to earn Albion one of their most important victories of the season.

Alex Revell's thumping header from a Jake Robinson corner four minutes into added time was significant in both an individual and collective sense.

It completed not only the first hat-trick of his professional career but a momentum-shifting win.

After all the Christmas turmoil in the Albion camp, failing to secure a first home win for two months against a side entrenched in the drop zone would have left the Seagulls on a downward spiral in mid-table, almost as close to the relegation places as the play-offs.

Instead they are back in the top ten, just four points off the top six with a game in hand, ahead of a welcome respite from League action as attention switches to the attempt to make further progress in the FA Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Revell has seized in some style the opportunity presented to him by Savage's rejection of a new 18-month contract. He scored in Saturday's defeat at Yeovil and his hat-trick yesterday granted Savage a large slice of his New Year wish.

His agent, Kevin Horton, revealed before the game that Savage wanted Albion to stuff five past Bournemouth and for Revell to score three, Nicky Forster the other two.

Although rivals for a place, Revell, like the manager and the rest of his players, are going to miss Savage.

Contrary to the heavy hints from chairman Dick Knight, he has not instantaneously joined another club now that his contract his up and the transfer window is open.

Revell said: "I sent a text to Bas after my goal at Yeovil and said I wasn't going to do a Moonwalk but I did a little dance for him.

"I still stay in contact with him, because he is part of the family and that is all that matters. He is behind us and he is still a good friend.

"We are a strong family here. Last year I think we would have dropped our heads and maybe lost that game but we have come through it. We didn't play the best but it's a great three points to start 2008."

Wilkins, while relieved to end a turbulent festive period on a winning note, knows there is much work to be done before the transfer window slams shut again at the end of the month.

He has lost three players in Savage plus Ipswich loan pair Matt Richards and George O'Callaghan, all of them first team regulars in the successful first half of the season.

O'Callaghan and Richards did not feature in the Ipswich squad against West Brom yesterday but the outspoken Irishman is definitely not coming back and Richards ideally wants a move to a Championship club.

Paul Reid's composure in possession in the middle of the park for an hour on his first start for 15 months softened O'Callaghan's departure but a leftback is clearly top priority, given that Adam El-Abd was switched there again at the expense of the unfortunate Sam Rents.

One target for that role, Adam Eckersley, has rejoined Port Vale permanently from Manchester United following a loan spell in the Potteries which included a red card against Albion.

Competition for Michel Kuipers is also a must, hence the return on trial of Danish keeper Jonas Jensen from Swedish club Elfsborg.

John Sullivan has been left off the bench lately but Wilkins was also without both of his outfield goalkeeping volunteers, Savage and Tommy Fraser, who, together with Joel Lynch, was missing through illness.

With all due respect to those in reserve, having Rents, Gatting, Elder, Loft and Fogden to call upon is not quite the same as Revell, Butters, Reid, Rents and Martot, who were the substitutes for Richards' final appearance at Swindon four games ago.

That is a good indication of the extent to which strength in depth has been eroded by recent events.

The siege mentality adopted by Wilkins and what remains of his squad served them well in an eventful south coast derby.

Revell launched the fun a quarter-of-an-hour into the contest, picking his spot from close range at the invitation of Nicky Forster, who fed on the uncertainty of Bournemouth defender Jason Pearce to cross invitingly into his path.

Albion were well on top at that stage but their recent defensive fragility was exposed once more when they failed to deal with a corner and Jo Kuffour crossed for Jean-Francois Christophe to nod the Cherries level.

They were close to being ahead by half-time, Max Gradel clipping the bar with a free-kick from long range, before Revell rifled Albion back in front 13 minutes into the restart from Forster's knockdown.

Bournemouth appeared poised for their first away point in five matches via an annoyingly familiar source 11 minutes from time.

Brett Pitman, scorer of their last-gasp winner against the Seagulls on New Year's Day last season, came off the bench this time to convert from close in after Kuffour's shot had been saved by Kuipers and Sam Vokes knocked the loose ball goalwards.

The visitors reckoned again without Revell and Jake Robinson who, as Wilkins pointed out, not only delivered the corner onto the hat-trick hero's head but won it by taking on his marker on the outside - an all too rare event.

Forster's part in the victory did not go un-noticed. Apart from the two assists he could, on another day, have scored a hat-trick himself.

Wilkins said: "I thought in the last half-an-hour he was awesome. He caused them immense problems from a central position, basically playing on his own.

"It feels as though it has almost been us and the players against the world at the moment, so to come through the game victorious at the end gives us great pleasure.

"We have struggled to pass the ball over the last three games with the same calmness and authority as before but a bit of belief and confidence and that will come back."

The belief of fans in prospects for the rest of the season will depend on how busy Albion are in the transfer market over the next 29 days.

What did you think of Albion's performance and what areas should Wilkins be looking to strengthen during the transfer window?