Norwich City 1 West Bromwich Albion 2

Diomansy Kamara headed a dramatic injury-time winner as West Bromwich Albion bounced back from behind to seal three priceless points in their promotion quest.

Kamara’s close-range diving header from Zoltan Gera’s cross, a minute into stoppage time, gave the Senegal international his 22nd goal of the season.

The winner was a well-deserved reward for Kamara’s determination in rising from his sick-bed to play the entire game after illness had confined him to an unused role on the bench against Stoke on Saturday.

And it sparked scenes of Easter Monday jubilation among the Baggies’ 2,300-strong travelling army, who had taken advantage of free coach travel laid on by the club.

Kamara rushed over to celebrate with the away following and even a harsh yellow card for over-exuberance could not take the gloss off a thrilling finish as Albion leapfrogged Preston North End into fourth place — just two points behind Birmingham City.

Norwich had earlier grabbed a 58th-minute lead with their first real effort of the afternoon when Dickson Etuhu was left unmarked to thump home a header from Adam Drury’s left-wing cross.

But on-loan Reading defender Sam Sodje got Albion’s revival under way with a thrilling 73rd-minute equaliser. The centre-back’s initial header from Jonathan Greening’s outswinging right-wing corner was headed off the line by Mark Fotheringham but, when the ball fell back to Sodje, he lashed an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

"The result is important, but I’m working on building a team for the future and there are signs of that team emerging," said Albion boss Tony Mowbray, clearly irritated by some of the criticism that followed his side’s 3-1 defeat by Stoke.

"I thought we looked a quality outfit today with quality players playing at the top of their game. I’m delighted with the way we played. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get things in place — I understand it’s a result-driven business, but sometimes you have to look beyond the result. Against Stoke, we had eight minutes of madness."

Mowbray paid tribute to Kamara for playing through the lingering after-effects of the sickness bug which struck again yesterday to rule out Kevin Phillips and Sherjill MacDonald.

"Diomansy has been ill all week — people talk about him being controversially left on the bench against Stoke, but he was on the bench in the hope that we might squeeze 10 minutes out of him. He wanted to play today and that’s the spirit we’ve got."

Mowbray confirmed that he is still negotiating with Reading boss Steve Coppell with a view to keeping Sodje, who turned in another fine defensive display and delighted away fans with some fancy footwork in the Norwich half, until the end of the season.

"His performances have been very, very good," said Mowbray. "He’s got wonderful feet — he’s more of a centre-forward than a centre-half and we see the step-overs in training. In the short time he’s been with us, he’s endeared himself to the players and the supporters, so let’s see where we go."

Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in the first half of yesterday’s sold-out encounter, with both sides restricted to long-range efforts. Robert Koren and Darren Carter regularly peppered the Norwich goal, with the former Birmingham man coming closest after 21 minutes when his 25-yard left-foot effort crashed back off the bar.

The second-half was altogether spicier and Drury was temporarily left stunned after a meeting with Gera’s flying forearm. Drury had earlier been booked for a foul on Gera, but the Hungarian could count himself fortunate to escape punishment of his own.

Drury exacted revenge by providing Etuhu’s opener, but Sodje’s well-struck equaliser set up an exciting finale as Albion pressed forward. Indeed, Sodje might easily have scored the winner himself two minutes from time, this time meeting a left-wing Greening corner with another powerful header, which Fotheringham nodded off the line.

The winner owed much to incisive work between substitutes Jason Koumas — who was battling a foot injury — and Richard Chaplow, and when Gera crossed low from the right, Kamara made no mistake with a diving header from six yards.

 Scorers: Etuhu (58) 1-0; Sodje (73) 1-1; Kamara (90) 1-2.
NORWICH CITY (4-3-3): Warner: Hughes, Doherty, Shackell, Drury; Etuhu, Safri (Fotheringham, 42), Lappin; Croft (Dublin, 56), Martin (Eagle, 75), Huckerby. Substitutes: Gallacher (gk), Renton.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely: Albrechtsen, Sodje, McShane, Robinson; Gera (Hodgkiss, 90), Koren, Carter (Koumas, 70), Greening; Ellington (Chaplow, 81), Kamara. Substitutes: Daniels (gk), Wallwork.
Referee: Jon Moss (Yorkshire).
Bookings: Norwich — Croft, Drury, Shackell; Albion — Robinson, Kamara.
Attendance: 25,422.

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