Roberts ends drought to wash out Baggies' hopes; Norwich 2 Albion 1.

ALBION's afternoon turned into a nightmare in Norwich as the crafty Canaries came from behind to cage the points.

Leading by Kevin Kilbane's strike just before the half hour, Brian Little's men were looking good.

But a vicious first-half hailstorm blew the Baggies away.

After Wolves old boy Iwan Roberts had dived in to head a first-half injury-time equaliser, and luckless Albion had been reduced to 10 men by Daryl Burgess's second bookable offence, Darel Russell snatched victory from the Baggies three minutes from time.

The biggest sickener though for the Baggies was that old thorn in their side, Roberts, who has now scored against them with four different clubs, including that infamous Hawthorns hat-trick three seasons ago.

He picked yesterday to break his four-game goal drought and ruin the afternoon for Little, who once signed him for Leicester.

It had nearly been an awful start for Albion as the Canaries came close to scoring straight from the kick-off when Jean Yves De Blasiis swapped passes with Paul Dalglish before crossing for Cedric Anselin.

But the presence of Matt Carbon, returning after missing last week's draw with Sheffield United after almost writing off his sports car in a crash, was enough to distract the Frenchman.

Not only did Anselin steer his close-range header straight at Alan Miller, but he ended up the worse following a collision with Carbon, who got up and walked away unscathed.

Ten minutes later, after Albion had briefly threatened through Enzo Maresca at the other end, Anselin was once again denied by Carbon, this time in far more dramatic fashion.

Darren Eadie was the man who this time caused panic down the left and, although Dalglish's shot was spectacularly saved by Miller, the ball dropped loose for the incoming Anselin.

Just as the man from Normandy seemed set to conquer, Carbon dived in bravely to turn the ball for a corner.

After such a frenetic start passions were running high, no more so than when Roberts - goaded by the travelling fans from the off - went through Maresca at knee height.

Yet, on an afternoon when the referee chose to deliver more cards than he'll probably send this Christmas, not only did Roberts escape a booking but he never even conceded a free-kick.

After Anselin had twice tried his luck from long range - his first, deflected effort earning a corner from which he then sent in a right-foot screamer that was always curling wide - it was Albion who kept their composure to take the lead.

De Blasiis was penalised for a challenge on Sneekes 25 yards out and the Dutchman's back-heel worked the angle for Kilbane to power a low left-footer into the corner for his seventh goal of the season.

From that moment on, though, the best chances all fell to Norwich.

Dalglish left Raven for dead with a turn reminiscent of his father, only for his low right-footer to be finger-tipped away superbly by Miller.

But, when Eadie crossed from the left, the young Scouse-bred Scot definitely did not look a chip off the old block as the ball got tangled under his feet and he stabbed embarrassingly wide.

The writing should have been on the wall for Albion, though, and Norwich were worth their equaliser on the stroke of half-time when Sutch curled in a near-post cross and Roberts dived in ahead of Raven to plant a stunning header in the bottom corner.

Roberts made himself even more unpopular with the Albion fans straight after the break when his second late challenge of the afternoon, this time on Kilbane, was deemed worthy of a caution.

His punishment from the away section was less merciful. "You're **** and you've got no teeth," sang the travelling Baggies choir.

Albion responded the right way, Maresca firing a 25-yard free-kick straight at Marshall before Kilbane cut inside, carved his way through and shot across the face of the goal.

But, having struggled to contain Eadie all afternoon, Albion were finally made to pay when the Canaries left-winger was brought down by Burgess.

And, having perhaps been harshly booked for his first offence against the same player an hour earlier, the resulting red was not long coming.

If Albion had looked vulnerable even with a makeshift right-back, without Burgess their worst fears were always liable to be realised.

And, although they survived Roberts steering just past the post as Miller came out, when Eadie's final cross picked out the unmarked Russell he coolly kept his head to do the rest.

NORWICH (4-4-2): Marshall; Sutch, Fleming, Jackson, Fuglestad; Anselin, De Blasiis, Russell, Eadie; Dalglish, Roberts.

ALBION (3-5-2): Miller; Carbon, Sigurdsson, Raven; Burgess, Sneekes, Townsend (De Freitas 94), Flynn, Maresca (Van Blerk 79), Kilbane; Evans (McDermott 77), Hughes.

Bookings - Norwich: Dalglish, Roberts, Anselin. Albion: Sneekes.

Sent off: Burgess (75, second bookable offence).

Attendance: 15,183.

Referee: L. Cable (Woking).

Star man: Alan Miller.

CAPTION(S):

HEAD BOY... Lee Hughes climbs high to thwart Craig Fleming ACTION MAN... flying Dutchman Richard Sneekes shrugs off the attentions of Jean Yves De Blasiis