Steve Coppell was asked after a basement battle brimming with apprehension whether Wednesday's last-gasp equaliser could damage confidence.

The thoughtful Albion chief considered the proposition before responding: "We will find out on Tuesday."

Indeed we will. Only then, when the Seagulls play their game in hand against the bafflingly labouring Ipswich at Withdean, will we discover the psychological impact of the goal which robbed them of their second away win of the season.

The foot of the First Division would have a much healthier look today had it not been for the untimely intervention of second-half substitute Shefki Kuqi.

Albion should be above Wednesday, adrift of Stoke only on goals scored and just two points behind Grimsby in that prized fourth-bottom spot which represents safety.

Instead they remain bottom but with a second bite of the cherry, if they can avoid a repeat of their Worthington Cup defeat by Ipswich.

Before the game a point would have been a satisfactory outcome. The way it panned out against the poorest opponents I have seen this season it was two points dropped.

Steve Sidwell, who laid on Gary Hart's first-half header, admitted half-an-hour after the final whistle: "The lads feel it's like a defeat."

That feeling was probably accentuated by how close Albion came to their first clean sheet of the campaign away from home.

Coppell spent much of last week emphasising to his players that an improvement in the defensive record was essential to survival. He could have no complaints on that score.

The back five coped admirably with mounting pressure after the break, even when the simultaneous introduction of Kuqi and enigmatic Dutchman Gerald Sibon presented them quite literally with a much larger problem.

"I couldn't point the finger at any of the defensive players," Coppell concluded. "Each and every one played their part.

"I thought the captain (Danny Cullip) was outstanding aerially because we are not a big side. Sibon was towering above everyone else.

"He is a big bloke and Kuqi is the same, a lot bigger than our three at the back, but they really battled manfully."

It was the cruellest of finales for Albion. Kuqi, dropped to the bench after interest from leaders Portsmouth and a drought stretching back to mid-September, rounded Michel Kuipers before driving home his fifth of the season.

The Finnish international's fine finish snatched a scarcely-deserved second point in eight matches for Chris Turner's side.

Although enjoying much more of the possession and a considerable territorial advantage in the second half, it was mainly frenzied and rather aimless stuff.

Albion didn't help themselves by conceding too many free-kicks in the early stages of the restart and gradually dropping deeper, but Kuipers still had very little to do.

Sibon had a shot cleared off the line by Paul Watson at the end of a chaotic passage of play shortly after coming on, although a linesman was flagging in any case.

Kuipers was as much a spectator in the first half as his counterpart Kevin Pressman was for most of the second.

The Seagulls were certainly not flattered by the interval lead supplied by Gary Hart's third goal of the season and first away from Withdean.

He dived to head in the impressive Sidwell's cross from point blank range following a bad mistake by Wednesday defender Steven Haslam.

The tireless Hart's contribution as partner to the ever-classy Bobby Zamora validated Coppell's decision to name an unchanged team.

Graham Barrett was on the bench after a four-match absence with a recurrence of knee ligament damage.

"He hasn't played for almost a month," Coppell explained.

"He is so passionate that I visualised him running himself into the ground for an hour and maybe doing further damage, with a knee injury that has been with him once before.

"I thought he could make a difference late on."

The ploy very nearly paid off. Barrett had a couple of chances to put Albion out of reach once he replaced Simon Rodger, playing for the third match running with a broken big left toe.

The young Irishman could not divert Hart's effort from Zamora's cut-back on target. Arsenal's young Irishman then shot wide when Zamora set him up with seven minutes left.

"I think he just slipped and maybe it was the pace of the game," Coppell said. "That would have been too perfect if he had scored."

It was Turner's double substitution which was belatedly rewarded, despite the restless Hillsborough faithful greeting both the withdrawal of the popular Leon Knight and a dismal first- half display with boos.

Whether or not Albion beat the drop, I wouldn't mind betting that they finish above Wednesday. They have the odour of a club in irreversible decline.

Albion (5-3-2): Kuipers (gk) 7; Watson (rwb) 7, Mayo (cd) 7, Cullip (cd) 9, Hart (f) 8, Carpenter (cm) 7, Pethick (cd) 7, Jones (lwb) 7, Zamora (f) 8, Rodger (lm) 7, Sidwell (rm) 8. Subs: Packham, Oatway, Brooker, Hinshelwood, Barrett for Rodger (injured 60).

*Scorers: Hart (20).

Bookings: Mayo (52) foul, Zamora (68) foul, Kuipers (79) time wasting.

Half-Time: Sheffield Wed 0 Albion1.

Attendance: 18,008.

Fan's View: Mike "Gullhanger" Ward.

Clinging on, praying for the final whistle, it's pretty familiar stuff by now.

Trouble is, I'd started praying with 70 minutes still on the clock, fairly sure Gary Hart's goal wasn't going to be enough.

This was a frustratingly patchy performance, the one consolation, for the first half at least, being that Wednesday were as messy and inconsistent as we were. Unfortunately, they got steadily better while we got steadily worse, so the eventual equaliser wasn't much of a surprise.

So what had lifted the home side's spirits? Certainly not their fans, who seemed to have taken a vow of silence. More likely, it was the performance of the referee, who appeared to be hoping for a last-minute nomination for next Saturday's British Comedy Awards.

Judging by some of the officials we've been saddled with this season, he'll face stiff opposition.