DIOMANSY Kamara ended a six-game barren spell with a dramatic injury-time winner as the brilliant Baggies came from behind to beat Norwich 2-1 in a Carrow Road cracker.

Albion controlled the game for long spells but fell behind in the 58^th-minute when Dickson Etuhu was granted the freedom of the visitors' penalty area to head home.

But loan star Sam Sodje capped a stunning personal performance by clawing Tony Mowbray's men level 17 minutes from time with a blistering volley.

And top-gun Kamara sent the 2,000-plus travelling Albion fans - bussed in on FREE coaches provided by the club - into raptures with a diving header in the second minute of stoppage time to steal three precious points.

It had looked like being another tale of woodwork woe for the Baggies.

Darren Carter and Robert Koren rattled the post and bar respectively before the break - adding to the SIX times they hit the frame of goal in November's 1-0 Hawthorns defeat by City.

But, to their immense credit, Albion kept plugging away and got their just desserts thanks to Sodje and Kamara's late strikes.

Mowbray made three changes to his starting XI as illness and injury hit the Baggies camp hard.

Jason Koumas (foot and knee) and Richard Chaplow dropped to the bench to make way for Carter and Zoltan Gera.

Kevin Phillips was ruled out through illness but 21-goal top scorer Kamara returned from a bug to partner Nathan Ellington in attack.

Sodje also overcame the knee injury which blighted his performannce on Saturday to keep his place at the heart of the Baggies defence.

But the biggest round of applause before kick-off was reserved for Ronnie Wallwork, who was named in Mowbray's 16-man squad for the first time since sustaining stab wounds five months ago.

A patchy start to the game eventually resulted in the first effort on goal arriving in the tenth minute, when Norwich full-back Andy Hughes smashed a 25-yard effort wide of the left-hand post.

Kamara burst into life four minutes later when he cut inside Etuhu and Jason Shackell from the left before curling a left-footed shot over from the edge of the box.

The Baggies had now settled into their stride and broke swiftly in the 20^th minute.

Gera's 50-yard aerial ball picked out Ellington whose first-time volley from the edge of the area dribbled tamely to Canaries keeper Tony Warner.

Less than 60 seconds later, the on-loan Fulham custodian was beaten all ends up by Carter's cracking 30-yard strike which rattled the left-hand angle of post and bar.

Koren then tried his luck from distance with a looping volley which flew just over.

The visitors threatened again on the half-hour mark when Paul McShane challenged Etuhu at the near post from Carter's right-wing corner - but the ball squeezed just wide.

Two minutes later, Jonathan Greening and Kamara worked a short-corner on the left.

Senegal pace ace Kamara teed up Koren who clipped the bar with a swerving 20-yard strike.

Norwich didn't threaten again until seven minutes before the break when dangerman Darren Huckerby pushed his way past Carter and McShane before firing a left-foot shot straight at Dean Kiely from 20 yards.

The action quickly swung back to the other end when Ellington saw his shot from inside the penalty area blocked by Shackell for a corner.

City boss Peter Grant was forced into a change in the 42^nd minute when Mark Fotheringham replaced the injured Youssef Safri in the middle of the park.

Ellington was in the action again two minutes later when he squared for Carter on the edge of the box.

The former Blues midfielder controlled neatly but fired his right-foot volley wide.

Greening then whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal, which Ellington just failed to reach before it bounced behind Gera and to safety.

Albion walked off at half-time desperately unlucky not to be ahead.

At the start of the second half, McShane made a vital last-ditch challenge to deny Chris Martin a chance in front of goal from Huckerby's throughball.

But Albion were soon back on the attack.

Gera fed Kamara down the right in the 51^st minute who cut inside Fotheringham in the penalty area to get away a left-footed shot which deflected wide off Gary Doherty.

From the resultant Carter corner, McShane was unable to leap high enough at the back post to get his header on target.

Stand-in skipper Paul Robinson needed lengthy treatment after a blow to his head.

When the game restarted, the Baggies were caught knapping.

Adam Drury took a quick throw-in on the right which was returned to him.

The City skipper curled a left-foot cross into the box and Etuhu stole in unmarked to head home off the underside of the crossbar in the 58^th minute.

Ex-Coventry hitman Huckerby then looked menacing when he cut inside from the left and saw his powerfully-struck shot deflect wide of the right-hand post for a corner.

Despite being behind in a game they had largely dominated, the Baggies refused to lie down.

Gera stung the hands of Warner in the 70^th minute after he jinked inside Drury and let fly from the edge of the area.

Mowbray made a change in the same minute when Carter made way for Koumas, who started out wide on the left, with Greening moving into central midfield.

The switch galvanised Albion - and they were level three minutes later.

Sodje would have been forgiven for holding his head in his hands when he saw his towering header from Greening's right-wing corner cleared off the line by Fotheringham.

Instead, the Reading defender stayed alert and when the rebound flew straight back to him, he blasted a right-footed volley from 12 yards into the roof of the Norwich net.

Albion now scented victory and continued to pile men forward.

Sodje was desperately unlucky not to steal all three points two minutes from time when his header from another Greening flag-kick looked to have crossed the line before Fotheringham again cleared.

Referee Jon Moss simply waved play on.

But Kamara went one better in the second minute of injury time.

Albion's patience around the edge of the City box paid off when sub Richard Chaplow cleverly fed Gera inside the box.

The former Ferencvaros favourite slid the ball towards Kamara who stooped to head Mowbray's men 2-1 up.

The Baggies had one final scare in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

The largely untroubled Dean Kiely showed terrific reflexes to plunge low to his right and brilliantly beat out Norwich substitute Dion Dublin's downward header from Huckerby's centre.

The final whistle sparked much jubilation among the travelling hordes who had plenty to sing about on their long journey home.

NORWICH (4-4-2): Warner; Hughes, Shackell, Doherty, Drury; Croft (Dublin 56), Safri (Fotheringham 42), Etuhu, Lappin; Martin (Eagle 75), Huckerby. Subs not used: Gallacher (gk), Renton.

ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely; Albrechtsen, Sodje, McShane, Robinson; Gera (Hodgkiss 90+4), Koren, Carter (Koumas 70), Greening; Ellington (Chaplow 81), Kamara. Subs not used: Daniels (gk), Wallwork.

BOOKINGS: NORWICH - Croft (foul 13), Drury (foul 24), Shackell (foul 51). ALBION - Robinson (foul 67), Kamara (over-celebrating 90+2).

REFEREE: J Moss (West Yorkshire).

ATTENDANCE: 25,422.

ALBION STARMAN: Sam Sodje.

(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)