Mat Sadler believes that Damien Johnson's brilliant late equaliser at The Hawthorns could prove the launchpad for what Birmingham City hope is the final five weeks of their season.

Blues have gone into their 14-day break between games back in the automatic promotion places in what is starting to look like a three-horse race for the top two between them, Derby County and Sunderland.

They are still an imposing seven points clear of labouring West Bromwich Albion.

And, although they may be dislodged once more by the time they host Coventry City on April Fool's Day, as Sunderland play at Cardiff the day before, Sadler insists that simply avoiding defeat to the mentally-battered Baggies was a massive psychological boost.

"It was a big point," said Sadler. "Defeat was most definitely not what we wanted. It could have been quite detrimental to our promotion challenge.

"But this sets us up to go into the break. And, if you add it to the one we got against Sunderland, when we also got a result in the final minute, it could prove crucial.

"It's certainly a good sign that we're a team capable of going right until the end in matches.

"And what a way to do it. The lads who were right behind Jonty when he hit it said it was bound for the top corner as soon as it left his foot. It was some goal, wasn't it."

It was at this stage last season that Sadler made the big breakthrough with Blues, enjoying an unbroken run at left back over the final month, as one of the few bright spots at a time of great depression for the club. But, despite an early season injury, he has really made the left-back berth his own, having now enjoyed an unbroken 34-game run since late September.

"It's a good time to be playing for Birmingham," said local boy Sadler. "After losing at Norwich last Tuesday night, we'd have taken a draw [against Albion]. And the way the game panned out, we'd definitely have taken it, although I thought we were actually in control before the sending-off and thought we could have gone on to win the game.

"They do counter-attack well, as they leave four up and they were always going to have chances, as there is good quality on the West Brom team and we knew we had to play football to get a result, but Colin Doyle in our goal hasn't had to do an awful lot."

Everything turned on a poor three minutes for Blues when Paul McShane escaped Julian Gray's attentions to put Albion ahead, then was felled by the Blues wide man to earn Gray his team's eighth red card of the season, matching Albion's tally.

But Sadler generously exonerates his team-mate on both incidents, claiming he himself was also culpable for the poor marking for the goal and that Gray was unlucky with the red card.

"That position should have been left for me to deal with," said Sadler. "And I'll take the blame for the goal.

" But Stephen Kelly thought he could have got back to be the last man for the sending-off. Jools was just trying to get himself out of the way and maybe the FA will look at that.

"He's got two weeks for it to be rescinded. And it's really bad luck for Jools when, with Gary McSheffrey out suspended, he had the chance to impress on the left side of our midfield.

"A lot's been said about Macca and rightly so, but for the 65 minutes or so he was on, Jools had a fantastic 65 minutes and ought to have given the gaffer a selection headache."

* Blues will run free coach travel to their Easter Monday (April 9) match at Barnsley for season-ticket holders.