Chris Brunt knew it was important the moment he fired Albion’s last-gasp equaliser at Portman Road.

But not until he glanced at other results in the privacy of the dressing room can Brunt have appreciated just how big his strike could prove.

Not only did the winger’s seventh goal of the season in the 93rd minute of an engaging contest give his side the point they more than deserved. It just about preserved their smiles too.

The ‘feelgood factor’ rediscovered in back-to-back meetings with Newcastle looked set to evaporate as the clock ticked past 90 minutes at Ipswich last night. And, on the pitch, the Baggies’ players didn’t know the half of it.

They knew about the feelings of injustice that would have turned from acute irritation to genuine anger had Grant Leadbitter’s controversial penalty settled things.

But they had no idea that their promotion rivals were lining up across the country to pour salt into the wound inflicted by young referee Stuart Attwell and his unexpected whistle.

Nottingham Forest, Cardiff, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough had all wrapped up convincing victories long before the drama unfolded in Suffolk. Unbeknown to the Baggies, they were ready to ratchet up the pressure.

Even with Brunt’s scrambled late effort, Albion lost ground. But without it, they might have lost heart too.

Promotion scraps are all about shifting momentum. And with moments remaining last night it looked like Albion’s might hit the buffers while others gathered pace.

Instead, thanks to Brunt, they departed East Anglia merely angry when they might have left utterly deflated.

One day they might reflect philosophically on their shifting relations with referees. But not today.

Today they remain irked and agitated at the penalty decision that almost condemned them to just their second away defeat of the Championship season.

Few among the 19,574 crowd can say whether Mr Attwell was right to penalise Jonas Olsson for a tug on Damien Delaney. Because barely any of them saw it.

There was widespread bemusement when the official pointed to the spot as Albion cleared their lines from a corner.

But, when Leadbitter cashed in with a fine spot-kick, the decision looked set to prove decisive in another fabulous spectacle involving the Baggies.

For the second time in eight days, Albion were involved in a splendid advertisement for Championship football. And once more they were generally superior to their hosts.

It was the visitors who were first to try their luck at goal, first when Thomas cut in from the right and blasted a shot over the bar and then when Brunt found a pocket of space on the left but dragged his shot wide of the target.

And they applied more pressure and should have tested home keeper Arran Lee-Barratt in the 10th minute after Thomas broke with pace and won a corner.

Graham Dorrans’ flag-kick was flicked by Olsson but Roman Bednar made a hash of his shot at the far post.

Bednar was looking threatening and he linked up again with Brunt to win the Baggies a free-kick, latching onto the winger’s inch-perfect through-ball and racing towards the box, only to be sent tumbling by the onrushing Lee-Barrett.

For a moment the visitors hoped the keeper would be dismissed but he rightly escaped with a caution and Brunt sent the set-piece high and wide.

The entertaining flow was maintained as Jon Stead fed David Norris and he sent a cross-shot just wide of Carson’s goal, but Albion retained the upper hand and Bednar headed just too close to Lee-Barrett from a Robert Koren cross.

Then they should have gone ahead. A fabulous eye-of-the-needle ball from Dorrans found the overlapping Gonzalo Jara and his cross was side-footed at goal by Koren but the effort was tame and Gareth McAuley blocked.

However, an injury to Brunt left the Baggies temporarily a man light and Ipswich almost cashed in, first when Norris drew a smart low save from Carson and then when McAuley headed the resulting corner wide when he should have done better.

Albion almost went ahead in the final moments of the first half as Bednar challenged for a high ball with Lee-Barrett, it broke for Brunt and his lob was headed crucially off the line by McAuley.

There was a scare for the visitors in stoppage time, however, as Peters burst through the middle and into the box but Carson was on hand to make a brave block.

Six minutes after half-time Damien Delaney had to make a timely interception at the far post to stop Brunt connecting with a hopeful Thomas cross.

And moments later Bednar should have tested Lee-Barrett when he met a floating cross by Cech but headed just wide.

Delaney had to be alert again to stop a Brunt cross reaching Bednar as Albion began to increase the pressure.

And shortly afterwards there was another near miss as Thomas’s low shot skidded wide with the aif of a deflection.

But the game changed from another flag kick on 67 minutes as referee Stuart Attwell spotted alleged climbing by Olsson on Delaney and pointed to the spot.

Albion’s appealed spoke of their disgust but the protests did not put off Leadbitter, who struck a confident penalty low past Carson.

The Baggies poured forward in an effort to right the perceived wrong and they almost did so when a left-wing cross from Brunt caused confusion in the Ipswich box.

But substitute Ishmael Miller could not extract it from between his feet and his eventual shot was straight at Lee-Barrett.

It appeared their efforts would meet with frustration as the 90th minute came and went with the home side going closest as Carson denied substitute Tamas Priskin.

But the Baggies would not be denied and, when a Dorrans shot deep in stoppage time broke kindly, Brunt made no mistake from a couple of yards.

The immediate celebrations were muted as Albion continued to stew over earlier events.

Yet, when the dust settles, they might just reflect on what a crucial goal it could become.

By Steve Madeley.