If Albion are heading back to Wembley, they seem determined to take the scenic route.

A third trip in as many seasons to the national stadium remains within the Baggies’ compass. Yet Tony Mowbray’s men seem unwilling to accept any of the shortcuts on offer.

The trouble with going around the houses, as they found to their cost on Saturday, is all the extra obstacles that line the route.

Albion tripped over several in a below-par performance against Burnley, that could yet have a profound effect on their hopes of staying in the Premier League.

It took just a momentary lapse of concentration for the Baggies to toss away safe passage into round five. They could be counting the cost of a worrying afternoon for a good while longer.

On Mowbray’s winter wish-list, a midweek replay at Turf Moor would slot in somewhere between a six pack of Stella Artois and a season ticket at Stoke.

But an extra 90 minutes in the midst of a crucial period of league fixtures might just be the tip of the iceberg, when the manager assesses the damage from another Cup occasion that fell flat at home.

In addition to the confidence-sapping, deflating late equaliser from Martin Paterson, manager and fans also had to watch captain Jonathan Greening limp off with a knee injury, the extent of which will become clear in the days ahead.

Whatever the criticism directed at Greening from some supporters of late, the midfielder’s worth in the eyes of his manager is clear.

He has started every league match since the beginning of last season and the value of his experience and composure cannot be underestimated, as the tightest Premier League season in years approaches its business end.

Then there was the second-half injury that forced Ryan Donk to the sidelines. A week or two ago fitness worries surrounding the young Dutchman would barely have registered on the Baggies Richter scale.

But at the weekend, Donk became the fourth Albion centre-back to be laid low by an injury.

The freakish sequence of bumps and bruises among Mowbray’s centre-halves is threatening to undermine what was shaping up as a stunning resurgence in a season that looked dead.

If the fresh injuries compounded the potential fixture pile-up, there were other problems to keep Mowbray’s mind ticking over for the remainder of the weekend.

There was Roman Bednar’s uncharacteristic profligacy in front of goal and the possible knock-on effects to the leading scorer’s notoriously fragile mood.

There was the latest fall-out between veteran defender Paul Robinson and supporters for whom he splits opinion down the middle.

In fairness, Robinson’s frank exchange of views with one or two punters in the West Stand at the final whistle hardly represented a major diplomatic incident.

But the unnecessary row was another unwelcome sight at the end of an afternoon that was less than satisfactory for all concerned. In short, the general feeling at the conclusion was of unwanted problems piling up, at a time when a once-desperate season was threatening to take a turn for the better.

It would have felt a whole lot better had the Baggies done as they should and secured a concrete place in the fifth-round draw.

The likelihood of another visit to the magnificent Emirates Stadium in the last 16 would have raised spirits even further this morning.

Sadly, Mowbray’s side failed to learn the lessons from their third-round giveaway against Peterborough. The result was an attack of footballing deja vu.

The pattern of Saturday’s match was similar to the clash with Posh. The last-gasp equaliser for the visitors was almost identical. Mowbray and Co will be hoping the replay at Turf Moor follows a similar pattern to the one at London Road a fortnight ago.

But they are likely to find giant-killing specialists Burnley on their own patch a very different opposition to Darren Ferguson’s emerging Peterborough side, especially with a potential fifth-round glamour-tie against the Gunners at stake.

Owen Coyle’s side had to withstand strong starts to both halves from Mowbray’s men. But the Baggies were unable to maintain their intensity in either period and only the woodwork and a fine late save from Scott Carson prevented the visitors from adding to their tally.

An end-to-end match made for an entertaining spectacle in the opening stages but it was the visitors who went ahead on 24 minutes, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Greening’s collision with Robbie Blake looked innocuous but Blake hit the deck, referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot and Graham Alexander stepped up to dispatch the penalty.

Albion responded well to the concession of the goal and probed with purpose until they drew level just after the half-hour with a moment of true quality from Robert Koren.

The Slovenian met a half-cleared corner with a powerful first-time drive from the edge of the box and the ball arrowed into the roof of the net.

Blake should have restored the Burnley’s lead when he popped up unmarked eight yards out, only to scoop his shot against the crossbar with the goal gaping.

Albion made him pay in first-half stoppage time, when Kim Do-heon was fouled and picked himself up to strike a free-kick that deflected off the wall and past former Albion keeper Brian Jensen.

Bednar should have wrapped things up for Albion when he cut in from the left, beat Christian Kalvenes and rounded Jensen, only to fire against the keeper’s right-hand upright.

That triggered a spell of intense Burnley pressure. Albion looked to have repelled the storm when Carson pulled off a stunning save to keep out a goal-bound header from Steven Thompson.

But with less than two minutes left Wade Elliott was allowed time and space to cross to the far post. Paterson prodded it home to ensure another frustrating detour for Albion in what could be another magical trip, or a pointless and costly journey.

By Steve Madeley