Both sides started brightly but it was the Baggies who had the first opportunity when Kevin Phillips picked the ball up 20 yards but his shot was well blocked.

Up at the other end of the pitch Danny Dichio did well to win the ball on the right and he dinked a ball across the box to where Nugent met the ball with a header, straight at Hoult.

In the 6th minute West Brom were ahead, Koumas cut in from the left, beat Alexander, then beat the covering Whaley before curling a wonderful effort beyond the diving Carlo Nash.

North End won a free-kick in the ninth minute when Hartson clattered St. Ledger in the back and Alexander played the ball into Nugent's feet in the box. The striker spun round and played a ball across the box to where Danny Pugh was teed up, but he skied his shot well over the bar.

Pugh had another effort in the 12th minute from a similar position, this time after Dichio had teed him up. The strike was lower than the previous effort but it still cleared the crossbar by a few inches.

Kamara was given the time and space to run at the North End defence on fifteen minutes. The Senegalese wing-man picked the ball up in the centre-circle but there was no challenge on him by the time he had waltzed to the edge of the box, he danced round a challenge and hit a low drive that just cleared Nash's far post.

Nugent flashed a shot at goal in the 16th minute, Dichio and McKenna combined to put the young striker in down the left and after cutting in onto his right foot he smashed a shot towards the top corner but it flew just over the bar.

Preston certainly weren't being bullied and they were creating a few chances of their own. One on 20 minutes when Dichio provided a nice ball in behind for Whaley to deliver a cross it was a good ball and both West Brom's keeper and defender scrambled to reach it and avoided a collision.

Paul McKenna hit a thunderous drive in the 23rd minute which forced Hoult into a world-class save. It was from 25-yards out and heading right for the inside of the post, but Hoult just tipped it wide. It looked to have come at a cost for the midfielder as he collapsed in a heap after falling awkwardly on his ankle after taking the shot.

It was 2-0 on 25 minutes and it all came from a corner at the other end of the field. The ball was delivered in and St. Ledger was challenged strongly in mid-air as he went up for his header. There was no reaction from the referee and the Baggies launched an immediate counter-attack. Darren Carter sprinted out of defence with the ball at his feet and all of a sudden it was four on two at the back. Carter laid it left to Curtis Davies and he swept the ball across the penalty box for Kamara to slam home from just beyond the penalty spot.

It was an action-packed game. In the 29th minute the ball came out to Whaley on the edge of the box and his shot had power but it was deflected behind for a corner. From that corner two West Brom players collided in the box and for a brief moment there was panic in the box. But PNE couldn't deliver the killer blow.

It was the Welsh connection in the 30th minute which created a chance for West Brom. Koumas whipping the ball onto John Hartson's head and he glanced the ball just wide of Carlo Nash's left-hand post.

North End won a penalty in the 34th minute when Paul Robinson handled a Matty Hill cross right on the edge of the box. It was unfortunate for the Baggies defender that the ball just bounced up and hit his arm but the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Graham Alexander was coolness personified as he stepped up and powered the ball home from the spot to reduce the deficit.

North End made a change in the 37th minute when Simon Whaley was replaced by Tommy Miller.

PNE had a great chance in the 39th minute when Paul McKenna whipped in a corner and it was aimed right across goal and Danny Dichio of all people mistimed his header from only two-yards out.

And Dichio's afternoon got even worse when he was red-carded in the 41st minute for an alleged elbow on West Brom centre-half Paul McShane.

In first half stoppage time Koumas picked the ball up 30 yards out and hit a bouncing shot that Carlo Nash dealt with quite comfortably.

It should have been 3-1 just before the break, Hartson sprung the offside trap with a lovely little dinked ball into the path of Kevin Phillips. It looked a little offside, and Phillips actually looked surprised to find that he was onside, he was clear through and as he flashed a shot at goal it came of Carlo Nash's back and bounced wide for a corner. Although the linesman failed to spot the fact that it had hit the keeper and flagged for a goal-kick.

North End were not letting the fact that they were down to 10 men hinder their chances and they came out positively in the second period. Nugent worked his way to the byline on the 50th minute and he hit a deep cross towards Pugh who was lurking at the back post, it took a good challenge from Albrechtsen to clear the danger.

On 54 minutes North End almost took advantage of a West Brom man being down. St. Ledger surged forward and managed to force the ball into the path of Nugent at the second attempt. Nugent's shot was deflected wide for a corner but the referee got a chorus of boos from the home support for not stopping play.

West Brom made a change in the 59th minute when John Hartson was replaced by Nigel Quashie, the switch meant that Kamara went up-front with Greening moving to right-wing.

Preston North End's patience paid off on 68 minutes when David Nugent levelled the score. Danny Pugh floated a ball towards the edge of the box and Nugent flicked a header into the path of Sedgwick who was unmarked on the right of the box. Sedgwick drilled a shot-cum-cross into the six-yard box and Nugent was there to tap the ball into the net.

Preston made an immediate change with Kelvin Wilson coming on for Paul McKenna with Graham Alexander moving to a midfield role.

West Brom made a second change when Darren Carter was replaced by Nathan Ellington.

Sedgwick and Alexander were both shown the yellow card within the space of two minutes for late challenges.

Alexander's foul was costly as from the free-kick West Brom were back in front. Nathan Ellington stepped up and hit a low effort that somehow crept inside the post despite Carlo Nash looking to have it covered. It came with 15 minutes to go and was a cruel blow after the Lilywhites had done so well to scrap their way back into the game.

Quashie was booked with eight minutes left on the clock after he theatrically dived after the ball ran out of his possession. As the booking was taking place North End made a third and final substitution when they sent on Brett Ormerod for Danny Pugh.

As Preston went in search of an equaliser late in the game they were almost caught on the counter. It was three men on one with Matt Hill the sole defender, yet somehow he managed to prevent the Baggies getting a strike at goal.

With five minutes left on the clock West Brom made one final change when Richard Chaplow came on for Kevin Phillips.

And seconds after that change the game was all but over. Paul Robinson floated a ball into the box and Nathan Ellington's head got to the ball before Carlo Nash's punch and the ball bounced into the empty net.

That was the last real action of the match and the referee played the briefest of injury time on what had been a pulsating Boxing Day affair.