A last-gasp goal by Lee Hughes - his 30th of the season - robbed plucky Bristol City of their first away win since Benny Lennartsson took charge in October.

Hughes struck five minutes into injury time after Ade Akinbiyi had upstaged English football's leading marksman with a second-half double.

Akinbiyi strikes, on the hour and five minutes before the end, seemed to have handed the visitors three crucial points in their bid to stave off relegation after Hughes had opened the scoring in the first half.

The Robins could and should have been two goals to the good within the first 15 minutes.

A seventh-minute mistake by West Brom skipper Shaun Murphy led to Akinbiyi feeding strike partner Steve Torpey, whose shot cannoned back off the post.

Akinbiyi took an eternity to control the rebound and goalkeeper Phil Whitehead somehow helped his delayed shot over the bar.

Akinbiyi was lively throughout and only a timely intervention from Murphy on nine minutes prevented the powerful £2million striker from scoring with the goal at his mercy.

At the other end Hughes was beginning to show the kind of form that has put him in with a chance of equalising Jimmy Quinn's 42-goal division record - a 28th-minute lob falling inches wide.

Two minutes later Hughes seized on Richard Sneekes' 50-yard pass, twisted into the box to force Steve Phillips to palm out a well placed shot, Sneekes' somehow blazing the loose ball over.

But Hughes was not to kept at bay, however, and after losing his marker, Louis Carey, he headed Kevin Kilbane's left-wing cross beyond the reach of Phillips and into the far corner.

But the visitors continued to attack despite going behind and teenager Aaron Brown, making only his only second senior appearance, and Hungarian skipper Bilmos Sebok both went close as the half drew to a close.

The second half, delayed 15 minutes after fighting broke out between rival supporters in the Smethwick End began in the same vein with Torpey having a header well saved by Whitehead.

The Robins did go ahead on the hour after the Albion defence failed to clear Brian Tinnion's corner from the left, Akinbiyi drilling the ball home at the back post.

But City were handed a reprieve by referee Peter Walton when Richard Sneekes fired in a 72nd-minute shot - after Phillips had parried a Hughes effort - and the ball appeared to strike full back Jim Brennan's hand on the line.

City almost took the lead immediately after a swift break, Brown's mazy dribble ending with the 18-year-old striking the upright.

Akinbiyi was not to be out done, forcing Tinnion's left-wing centre home from inside the six-yard box five minutes from time.

But local lad Hughes sent the Baggies fans home with a sigh of relief, curling home his late leveller inside a crowded penalty area.

Teams

West Brom: Whitehead, Holmes, Van Blerk, Bortolazzi (Angel 85), Murphy, Raven, Quinn, Sneekes, De Freitas (Flynn 79), Hughes,Kilbane.

Subs Not Used: Burgess.

Booked: Whitehead.

Goals: Hughes 32, 90.

Bristol City: Phillips, Brennan, Bell (Sebok 41), Locke, Shail, Carey, Brown, Tistimetanu (Andersen 58), Akinbiyi, Torpey,Tinnion.

Subs Not Used: Murray.

Booked: Brennan.

Goals: Akinbiyi 60, 85.

Att: 16,490

Ref: P Walton (Winwick).