A 90th minute goal from veteran striker Martin Foyle earned battling Vale a deserved point.

Foyle's last-gasp strike denied West Brom boss Dennis Smith his first Hawthorns league success after taking over on Christmas Eve.

Albion twice took the lead but Vale battled back to grab a valuable point in their fight to retain their Division One status.

Sean Flynn's 24th-minute opener was cancelled out by Jan Jansson with Bob Taylor restoring Albion's lead in the 83rd minute only for Foyle to make it 2-2 in the dying seconds.

Flynn found the target to claim only his second strike of the campaign with a close-range shot after Vale keeper Paul Musselwhite stopped but failed to hold a stinging shot from Richard Sneekes.

But the scoreline was level when former Swedish international Jansson made no mistake with a magnificent left-footed shot that went home via the underside of the crossbar.

Then, with just seven minutes left on the clock, transfer-listed Taylor made no mistake with a cracking header from a right-wing cross by the tireless Flynn.

Smith, who has now been in charge of Albion for 88 days, must have thought the points were in the bag only for Foyle to shatter his dreams in the final seconds.

It was Albion who dominated the opening half with Musselwhite going down to hold a goalbound header from Lee Hughes after only three minutes.

Then Kevin Kilbane created a fine opening for on-loan Steve Nicol but the former Liverpool man fired his shot high over the woodwork.

Vale did little to trouble Miller in the first 45 minutes but they should have done better when the unmarked Dean Stokes found himself with time and space just before the break.

Stokes fired in a low, hard drive but Miller thew himself to the ground and managed to deflect the shot with his outstretched leg.

Teams:

West Brom: Miller, Hamilton (Butler 46), Van Blerk, Sneekes, Beesley, Carbon, Flynn, Nicol, Hughes, Quinn (Gilbert 74), Kilbane (Taylor 74).

Booked: Nicol, Butler.

Goals: Flynn 24, Taylor 83.

Port Vale: Musselwhite, Hill (Mahorn 86), Stokes, Bogie, Glover, Barnett, Carragher (Gordon 36), Talbot, Mills, Foyle, Jansson.

Subs Not Used: Koordes.

Booked: Barnett.

Goals: Jansson 69, Foyle 90.

Att: 14,242

Ref: T Heilbron (Newton Aycliffe).