Burnley 1, Albion 1

News bulletin for the doubters. Albion are not going away.

Disbelievers up and down the country - pundits and supporters of other teams at the top end of the Championship - are wondering how and why Chris Hughton's squad without obvious stars are where they are.

A deserved point in front of the Sky cameras against formidable claret and blue hosts provided more clarity.

Almost four months and more than a third of the way through the season, Hughton and his players continue to handle everything the Championship throws at them.

Make no mistake, the trip to Turf Moor represented the toughest test yet of their credentials to still be there or thereabouts come May.

Burnley made a good fist of trying to stay in the Premier League last season with many of the players Albion confronted.

Two key signings have strengthened them. Joey Barton may have the odd character flaw but he is a considerable midfield force at this level, the pacey Andre Gray one of the more dangerous strikers.

It would have been a stern examination for a full-strength Albion, yet alone a line-up forced to adjust to changes in both personnel and tactics by a flurry of injury and illness setbacks.

They coped and, who knows, might even have won without a controversial penalty decision swiftly erasing Bobby Zamora's first minute opener in an explosive start to a contest which showcased the competitive and resilient qualities of the Championship.

Burnley will reflect on a glorious late chance spurned by Scott Arfield to inflict a first defeat but it was a fair result and that remarkable club record sequence, stretching now to 18 league matches undefeated since the end of last season, remains proudly in tact.

Hughton, although not explicit about the way he intended to set up, more than hinted at being forced to turn to Plan C, rather than just Plan B, in responding to the extent to which he had to opt for a late re-think.

"A fair bit," he said. "And it is really testament to the lads. We had a good week's training as regards preparation for the game. Well a lot of what we worked on went out of the window.

"That's the game and in the end it's about a team performing, adjusting, because once that whistle goes you can't tell them what sort of game it's going to be. They have to adjust to all of that."

Earlier reference by Hughton to the slight hamstring problem which sidelined Andrew Crofts and Gordon Greer's revelation that he did not expect to play - and did not know he was - until yesterday morning were telling clues.

Hughton, already without long-term absentees Gaetan Bong and Kazenga LuaLua and Sam Baldock as well for the visit to Lancashire, had in mind reverting to the 4-3-3 formation he used at Reading, with Crofts bolstering the centre of midfield and Uwe Huenemeier and Lewis Dunk again partners behind them.

In the event a slight ankle issue ruled out Huenemeier, so Greer returned from five-and-a-half matches out with knee trouble.

And Hughton, starved of choices, stuck to 4-4-2, handing Zamora just his second start of the season alongside Tomer Hemed.

When he looked behind him the bench was down to the bare bones. No Inigo Calderon (ill), Rohan Ince (groin). Spaces instead for Danny Holla and those not normally even on the fringes, Adam Chicksen and a first involvement for ex-Spurs under-21's striker Daniel Akindayini.

Albion will lose, eventually. They are not the Arsenal Invincibles but it is becoming harder to predict when that first defeat will come.

Combining all the unfavourable circumstances, it cried out to be on a bleak and winter chill-afternoon against one of the best-equipped opponents and one of the more hostile crowds in the division, far away from southern comforts.

The goal action was condensed into a frantic opening four minutes. Albion led within 58 seconds, catching Burnley cold with a slick move begun by Zamora, with contributions from Solly March, Dale Stephens and Tomer Hemed.

The Israeli, in desperate need of a goal to restore confidence, nearly had one with a shot helped onto the bar by England's No.3 keeper Tom Heaton. Zamora poked in the rebound at the far post from point blank range, his third of the season.

The difference retaining the lead for longer than three minutes might have made to the final outcome is a matter for conjecture. Beyond dispute was the controversial nature of Burnley's route to instant parity.

From a corner Michael Keane initially held Lewis Dunk's arm. Dunk's shirt-tugging was more transparent to referee Simon Hooper, who awarded a penalty - converted by Gray - when a majority of his colleagues consistently overlook set piece wrestling.

Hughton said: "That's the frustration. We're not saying that Lewis didn't have part of the lad's shirt but the lad was grappling as well.

"If there were ten corners in a game, certainly from a third of them you would see some sort of pulling, tugging.

"So it's very frustrating when a referee chooses to give it when you see on lots of other occasions it's not given. Apart from that, I thought the referee had a very good game."

Chances were few and far between for both sides after that. Albion defended well when they had to, especially for spells in the second half.

Arfield should have punished rare disarray eight minutes from time in a counter-attack prompted by a loose pass from Dunk in Burnley territory but drove just wide.

That would have been particularly hard on Bruno, who maintained his fine form this season, together with Greer's command of the defensive unit on his comeback which included a couple of crucial interventions inside his own box, one of them in stoppage time to foil George Boyd.

The influential midfield pairing of Kayal and Stephens gave as good as they got yet again against quality opposition in Barton and David Jones. The goal apart, Zamora also excelled as the focal point of the attack until giving way to Jake Forster-Caskey midway through the second half to save his 34-year-old legs from the increased risk of injury in the closing quarter of the match.

Hughton said: "They probably got more balls into the box and were a little bit more threatening in the final third but we built through the thirds very well.

"There's no doubt in this division against the likes of Burnley and teams at the top end of the table you need this type of performance and if we continue to get this type of performance we've got a chance."

Indeed they have. The rest of the country might just now be convinced as well.