A cruel and controversial climax to Albion's fifth home defeat out of ten camouflaged the shortcoming which threatens to deprive them of their Championship status.

They are agonisingly close to being a team good enough to be comfortably placed in mid-table.

What is costing them so dearly, and has done since Dean Hammond headed them in front early on at Derby on the opening day, is failing to hold on to a lead.

Palace pegged them back twice yesterday before a crisp strike by substitute Jobi McAnuff in the fourth minute of stoppage time compounded the sense of injustice felt by the Seagulls over the dismissal of Gary Hart a few minutes earlier.

It is becoming a familiar story, the seventh time Albion have led in the Championship without going on to take maximum points and the third in a row at Withdean.

On the previous six occasions, at Derby, Leeds and Burnley and at home to Crewe, Ipswich and Wolves, they at least managed a draw.

This last-gasp kick in the proverbials mirrored the manner of their embarrassing exit from the Carling Cup at Shrewsbury.

They know how to get their noses in front but an essentially inexperienced side does not quite have the know-how yet to turn leads into wins.

Converting even less than half of them into victories would see Albion in the comfort zone now, rather than the relegation zone.

Instead they are three points from safety, which is nothing too much to worry about at this stage.

It is worth remembering, however, that it is not easy to make up ground quickly when you have won only twice all season.

The Seagulls face a tough run of Albion must learn to hold on to lead away games against sides towards the right end of the table.

It is vital to stay in touch between now and the the January transfer window, when Mark McGhee will have an opportunity to strengthen his squad.

There were plenty of positives to take out of a sickening loss.

Leon Knight, back in favour and back to something like his best following his fall-out with McGhee, scored twice in a match for the first time in two years.

French wingers Alexandre Frutos and Seb Carole continue to impress, captain Charlie Oatway made a heartening comeback from his neck injury and Adam El-Abd, apart from a rash tackle which earned him a first half booking, proved an able deputy in the centre of defence for the suspended Paul McShane.

McShane is available for the trip to Cardiff tomorrow night and, with El-Abd or Jason Dodd capable of slotting in at rightback, the unfortunate Hart should not be sorely missed.

Knight showed his goalscoring instincts are still in tact by cheekily putting Albion ahead midway through the first half.

Tom Soares' misplaced pass allowed Frutos to cross to the near post, where Knight's closerange flick ended his eightmatch famine. Albion's first lead lasted only six minutes. A move started by Palace's Hungarian keeper Gabor Kiraly hurrying out of his area to hack clear ended with the unmarked Dougie Freedman nodding his 100th goal for Palace from strike partner Clinton Morrison's leftwing cross.

Albion's advantage was restored via a rare penalty eight minutes into the restart.

Gary Borrowdale impeded Jake Robinson when Dean Hammond dinked the ball into the box, an offence spotted not by referee Mick Fletcher but assistant Steve Tomlinson.

Tomlinson was the fourth official whose intervention in the home game against Sheffield United in September led to physio Malcolm Stuart being banned from the dugout for last month's triumph at Palace.

How ironic then that yesterday's fourth official Paul Melin was subsequently at the centre of the fuss surrounding Hart's sending-off.

Knight's spot-kick was almost saved by the diving Kiraly but squirmed over the line to give him his fifth goal of the season.

The lead lasted just seven minutes this time, Freedman scoring his second on the hour in clinical fashion.

He controlled a cross from Marco Reich, eased away from Guy Butters and beat Alan Blayney with an angled rightfoot drive into the far corner.

A draw would still have been a decent result for Albion but it was not to be.

Hart, having been booked six minutes from time for a foul on McAnuff, saw yellow again and with it red three minutes later, for deliberate handball, as he received treatment just off the pitch from Stuart.

To add insult to injury, the ten men were undone as Freedman fed the ball back for McAnuff to drill into the bottom lefthand corner of Blayney's net from 20 yards.

Albion's perky performance did not deserve such a fate. They more than matched a side now within a point of the play-offs but the absence of a killer instinct is proving expensive.

Robinson should have scored at least once in the first half, while the way his replacement, Colin Kazim-Richards, cheaply gave away possession inside his own half in the dying stages, with his side a man down and holding on, typified the Seagulls' naivety.

Both are young strikers of considerable promise still learning the game. The question is can Albion learn quickly enough how to hold onto a lead to stay in the Championship?

  • Albion (4-4-2): Blayney 6; Hart 7, El-Abd 7, Butters 6, Reid 7; Carole 7, Oatway 7, Hammond 7, Frutos 8; Robinson 6, Knight 9. Subs: Kazim-Richards for Robinson (withdrawn 56), Dodd, Nicolas, McPhee, Chaigneau.
  • Crystal Palace (4-4-2): Kiraly; Boyce, Ward, Hall, Borrowdale; Reich, Watson, Soares, Hughes; Freedman, Morrison. Subs: McAnuff for Reich (withdrawn 62), Andrews for Watson (withdrawn 77), Hudson for Borrowdale (withdrawn 90), Black, Speroni.
  • Matchfacts
  • - Shots on goal: Albion 2 Palace 4.

- Shots off goal: Albion 2 Palace 9.

- Corners: Albion 4 Palace 6.

- Offside: Albion 3 Palace 5.

- Free-kicks: Albion 15 Palace 15.

  • Albion bookings: El-Abd (26) foul, Robinson (41) unsporting behaviour, Reid (80) foul.
  • Albion sending off: Hart (84) foul, (87) deliberate handball.
  • Palace bookings: Soares (39) foul, Hall (41) unsporting behaviour.
  • Albion scorers: Knight (22), (53) penalty.
  • Palace scorers: Freedman (28), (60), McAnuff (90).