Albion boss Mark McGhee outwitted Glenn Hoddle to condemn the former England coach to a fourth successive 1-1 draw since taking charge of Wolves.

McGhee responded to the midfield diamond formation introduced to Wanderers by Hoddle with a tactical gem of his own which stifled his old club's fanciful ambitions of mounting a surge for the playoffs.

The teamsheet offered no clue to the surprise McGhee had in store for his illustrious counterpart. The only change to the side which beat Gillingham on Boxing Day was an instant recall for Dan Harding at the expense of the rested Alexis Nicolas, but that disguised the method by which another valuable point was gained in the pursuit of Championship survival.

Harding returned not at leftback but in midfield alongside Charlie Oatway and Richard Carpenter, with Paul Reid and the energetic Kerry Mayo in wide roles.

Adam Virgo's resumption of defensive duties following his effective stint as an emergency striker was hinted at by McGhee in the buildup, although not as a third centrehalf alongside Guy Butters and Adam Hinshelwood.

The final twist was the retention of Gary Hart, despite Leon Knight's availability, in a slightly withdrawn manmarking role, leaving Mark McCammon to forrage alone up front.

Not all plans work but this one certainly had the desired effect as Albion extended their extraordinary Molineux record to one defeat in nine visits.

McGhee said: "It was terrific. I thought we thoroughly deserved a point. We didn't create enough chances to win the game but we defended as a team, worked hard as a team and frustrated them all afternoon.

"We knew about their diamond and we had reports that they outpassed Cardiff and the other teams they have played. We wanted to stop that so we played a diamond up against them, but we also wanted to give them a problem so we played wingbacks, which stopped their fullbacks getting out and gave us an outlet as well.

"I'm very pleased that it was as much a tactical result as it was a team effort."

Even McGhee's meticulous plotting could not have accounted for the bonus of a fourth minute lead. Carpenter's corner was headed goalwards by Butters and helped into the net by Hart from virtually on the line.

Wolves enjoyed a lot of possession and the rest of the match was played largely in Albion territory, but McGhee's masterplan was carried out with commendable discipline and resolve by his players.

They hounded at every opportunity and the defensive triumvirate of Virgo, Hinshelwood and Butters formed a formidable barrier.

Wanderers hardly ever got in behind them while Michel Kuipers, outstanding in the Seagulls' previous visit two seasons ago, performed with distinction once more.

In the 19th minute the Dutchman's strong right hand kept out Shaun Newton's low drive from 12 yards. A few minutes later Kuipers, helped by Hinshelwood, made a smothering stop at his near post to foil Carl Cort's effort from an acute angle.

South Korean international Seol, a roaming influence for Wanderers, gave Albion fans an opportunity to demonstrate their sense of humour when he ruined a breakaway with a stray pass into touch. "It's just like watching West Brom", sang the Seagulls' supporters. Molineux season ticket holders responded with chuckles of agreement.

The home supporters' chuckles changed to cheers of relief in the 33rd minute, however, when Keith Andrews' flick with the outside of his foot opened up the Albion defence for the only time in the contest.

Kenny Miller ran onto the ball to fire his second goal in as many games and fourth in the last four meetings with the Seagulls.

That left Wolves with the best part of an hour to end their pattern of draws after coming from behind, just as they had previously under Hoddle against Cardiff, Crewe and Watford, but Albion kept them at arm's length throughout the second half.

Miller shot wide on the run, Seol clipped a crossshot onto the roof of the net and Colin Cameron volleyed straight at Kuipers when Cort nodded back Mark Kennedy's cross.

Kuipers produced his best save of the afternoon with 11 minutes left, diving to his right to turn away a sweetly struck shot from outside the area by Andrews.

Late substitute Leon Clarke should have scored in stoppage time when he failed to connect with Seol's leftwing cross, but that would have been cruel.

Knight's introduction for the last half hour in place of the flagging Hart kept Wolves on their toes at the back and even offered hope of snatching a fifth away win, a healthy haul for a team in Albion's position.