Albion's failed attempt to sign Lewis Grabban could come back to haunt them at Bournemouth tomorrow night.

The saga of his on-off move to the Amex at the start of the year sparked a chain of events which leaves the Seagulls confronting one of the hottest marksmen in the Championship in front of the Sky cameras in Dorset (5.15pm).

Grabban's replacement, Callum Wilson, is the major threat to the hopes of Sami Hyypia's side hauling themselves out of trouble at the wrong end of the table with a first league win in 11 games in the South Coast derby.

Wilson has taken over from Grabban as the spearhead of Eddie Howe's buoyant side, who are up to fourth following their 8-0 demolition of Birmingham last weekend and also through to the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup.

In January it was Grabban's exploits in the first half of last season that made him a target for Albion after Ashley Barnes was sold to Burnley.

Grabban had scored ten goals in 25 games, including a penalty against the Seagulls at the Amex in a 1-1 draw on New Year's Day when he impressed operating as a lone striker.

Albion made their move a fortnight later, a £1.1 million bid triggering a release clause in Grabban's contract.

He had productive talks with head coach Oscar Garcia and his assistant Nathan Jones. He also had a medical before the deal collapsed over personal terms.

Instead Grabban returned to Bournemouth to sign a new and improved three-and-a-half year contract.

The impact Grabban would have made on an Albion team that scraped into the play-offs under Oscar is a matter for conjecture.

What is beyond dispute is that Grabban continued in a rich vein of form through to the end of the season, leaving Albion counting the cost at least in financial terms.

Grabban struck 12 more times in the last 21 games, raising his tally to 22 for the campaign.

His impressive record alerted Norwich, relegated from the Championship and eager to bounce straight back.

They bought him in early June for a reputed £3 million, almost three times more than Albion would have paid for him.

The goals have dried up recently for Grabban, 26, but he has still scored six in his opening 14 appearances for Norwich, Albion's hosts on November 22.

Wilson is outshining him. Bournemouth, driven by the meticulous Howe and his hands-on approach to player recruitment, re-invested the fee they received for Grabban to land the 22-year-old Coventry striker.

They have been handsomely rewarded. Wilson heads into the clash against Albion as the Championship's joint top scorer with nine goals in 14 games.

He has also scored twice as a substitute in three appearances in the Capital One Cup, including the late winner against West Brom on Tuesday which earned Bournemouth another home tie in the last eight against Liverpool.

Away from home Wilson operates as a lone striker, much like Grabban used to for the Cherries. At home he is the furthest advanced with experienced Frenchman Yann Kermorgant, signed in January from Charlton, playing just behind.

Wilson is said to be quicker and a sharper finisher than his predecessor. He is not as adept at retaining possession and bringing others into play, although that should come with maturity - he is four years younger than Grabban.

Bournemouth are unbeaten at home since mid-September, Wilson and Kermorgant contributing between them half of the eight goals scored in four straight wins at Dean Court.

That is the type of return Hyypia is longing for from his misfiring strikers to lift Albion out of the doldrums, especially Sam Baldock, who is back tomorrow after an earlier appearance in the Capital One Cup for former club Bristol City ruled him out of Wednesday's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham.

The near-£2 million purchase, yet to register in seven outings, outscored Wilson in League One last season with 24 goals compared to the latter's 21.