In a game of very few chances, Danny Higginbotham's debatable 39^th-minute penalty swung this tight encounter Stoke's way.

The Baggies struggled to open up a City defence that has now conceded only four goals in nine games at the Britannia Stadium this term.

And the result saw the Potters leapfrog the visitors in the table, as Albion dropped out of the top six and are still without a win on Stoke soil for 24 years.

Jonathan Greening made an immediate return from suspension as he slotted in on the right wing, with Diomansy Kamara moving to partner Kevin Phillips in attack and Nathan Ellington dropping to the bench.

The Baggies almost gifted Stoke the lead in the tenth minute when Paul Robinson's stray ball was pounced on by Darel Russell. The Stoke midfielder let fly from 18-yards, which Baggies skipper Curtis Davies did well to deflect wide for a corner.

Two minutes later, Lee Hendrie burst into life and Russell Hoult had to be alert to dive low to his right to block the on-loan Villa midfielder's raking shot.

Vincent Pericard was first to the rebound but, after squaring the ball for strike partner Mamady Sidibe to poke into the empty net, the former Portsmouth hitman was ruled offside from the original effort.

As the visitors began to establish more of a foothold in the game, Robinson spread the ball out to Greening on the right.

The ex-Middlesbrough man curled in a pinpoint left-foot cross which Kevin Phillips could only head over from eight yards when he should at least have hit the target.

The action swung straight to the other end when Sidibe flicked on City keeper Steve Simonsen's long punt. Hendrie cut inside before seeing a 20-yard curler brilliantly turned away by Hoult for a corner.

Just when the Baggies looked to be turning this Potteries clash their way, referee Mike Thorpe adjudged Robinson to have felled Russell during a 39th-minute goalmouth scramble and pointed to the spot.

Despite Albion's vociferous protests, the Norfolk official remained unmoved and Higginbotham stepped up to fire the spot-kick inches past Hoult's outstretched palm to put the Potters ahead.

The Baggies looked a more determined outfit after the break and, four minutes after the restart, Darren Carter's left-wing cross flicked off Hendrie and bounced up in the six-yard box where Simonsen bravely blocked Phillips' goalwards prod.

Martin Albrechtsen won a crucial aerial challenge in the 62^nd minute to prevent Sidibe getting a free header from Hendrie's right-wing corner.

Tony Mowbray made a tactical switch two minutes later by bringing on Zoltan Gera - available again after a calf injury - for Albrechtsen and switching Greening to right-back.

Jason Koumas, shackled by at least one Stoke shirt all afternoon, showed some neat footwork on the edge of the hosts' penalty area in the 67^th minute.

When he lost possession, the ball broke for Phillips who saw a ferocious snapshot superbly tipped over by Simonsen.

City boss Tony Pulis made a change a minute later when he handed on-loan Villa ace Patrik Berger his debut as a replacement for Pericard.

Gera almost made an instant impact in the 72^nd minute when he out-jumped Andy Griffin at the back post from Kamara's left-wing cross, only to see Simonsen easily gather his downward header.

Albion piled on the pressure towards the end and, ten minutes from time, substitute Nathan Ellington burst onto Robinson's long ball and muscled his way past Carl Hoefkens.

However, City centre-half Higginbotham denied 'Duke' a clear sight of goal with a last-ditch challenge.

Despite a couple of further goalmouth scrambles, Albion just could not find a way past Simonsen and ran out of time.

STOKE (4-4-2): Simonsen; Hoefkens, Duberry, Higginbotham, Griffin; Lawrence, Russell, Diao, Hendrie (Hill 90+2); Sidibe, Pericard (Berger 68). Subs not used: Bangoura, Sweeney, Buxton.

ALBION (4-4-2): Hoult; Albrechtsen (Gera 64), C Davies, Perry, Robinson; Greening, Quashie, Carter, Koumas; Phillips, Kamara (Ellington 77). Subs not used: Steele (gk), McShane, Watson.

BOOKINGS: ALBION - Phillips (dissent 35), Greening (foul 73).

REFEREE: M Thorpe (Norfolk).

ATTENDANCE: 18,282.

ALBION STARMAN: Nigel Quashie.

(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)

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