IF GRAHAM DAWE is superstitious then he is likely to be searching for a witch doctor this week to try turn around his side's recent luck.

That rub of the green that all teams need at times has certainly deserted Albion over the last three weeks.

At Nottingham they lost 20-19 when video replays proved an Alex Davies penalty kick went through the posts and yet was not given.

Last week, at leaders Bristol they had two injury-time penalty kick attempts to snatch a bonus valuable bonus point but neither went over.

And on Saturday they were cruelly denied a much-needed win over in-form London Welsh in the eighth-minute of injury-time.

Aled Thomas' try in the left corner with the last move of the match left Brickfields stunned.

Albion had defended brilliantly all game with 15 players, but two minutes before Welsh scored Albion flanker Rory Watts-Jones suffered a nasty head injury, which resulted in him having to go to hospital.

But the game was not stopped and, with the home side unable to get a replacement on, Welsh eventually took advantage of the extra man to snatch a draw and rob Albion of two points.

The only stroke of luck Albion had was that Thomas hit the post with his conversion or Dawe's team would have only picked up one point.

Third-placed Welsh, unbeaten in 2010, did dominate the second half, but until they had a man advantage they could not break down the home side's outstanding defence.

Albion put everything into this game – you could tell the players wanted the win so much – and had they had a bit more luck, or been a bit more streetwise they would have been sitting in seventh place today rather than eighth.

Dawe's side will probably still be kicking themselves that they were unable to keep the ball for just 30 seconds after winning a ball against the head at a scrum four minutes into injury-time. They ended up kicking the ball up-field and failed to find touch and Welsh then kept it alive for nearly four minutes until they scored. Just one knock-on or a forward pass would have brought an end to the game, but, credit to Welsh, they put phase-after-phase together without a mistake.

The Exiles are a class side with some of the best backs in the league, but even they must have been thinking it was not going to be their day after trying everything to break Albion down.

Albion's battling efforts in their last three games have certainly deserved more than the three points they have got, but they have to believe that if they play with the same passion, commitment, desire and intensity they have produced against London Welsh, Bristol and Nottingham then they will be able to get the points they need for a top eight place from their final two matches against Birmingham and Doncaster.

Dawe's side did every right in the first half on Saturday, when they had the slight wind advantage.

They played for territory and kept forcing Welsh back in their own 22 with some good kicking from Kieran Hallett, Ruairi Cushion and Mark Lee. They then pressured well trying to force their opponents into making mistakes.

Although Paul Sampson and Dominic Shabbo looked threats every time they ran the ball back the visitors' kicking was not as good.

Albion also had a major threat of their own in Liam Gibson, who worried Welsh whenever he got the ball.

And it was Albion, without injured top try scorer Ben Mercer, who went in at the break 13-5 in front – a lead they deserved.

They opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a Hallett penalty after Welsh had messed up at a line-out.

The visitors did struggle to get their normally impressive set piece game going against Albion.

The home side then doubled their lead in the eighth minute with another Hallett penalty, which came after the fly-half had made a stunning break.

Welsh had not been out of their half, but they got back into the game on 13 minutes with a try in the left corner by Shabbo after Albion had conceded a line-out on the opposite side with a rare, poor kick. Thomas missed the conversion and a penalty 10 minutes later.

Hallett also missed a penalty attempt on 22 minutes.

But Albion finish the half strongly.

In injury-time, Dawe's team produced a great length of the field break through Gibson, Tu'ipulotu and Lee and after pressure they got a penalty.

Hallett went for goal but his kick just missed, however, it worked out well for the home side as they charged down Welsh's drop-out from their own 22.

And, after Gibson had been held just short, they set up a great maul which Welsh had no answer to. As they were about to score, Welsh illegally pulled the maul down and top-flight referee Rob Debney had no hesitation in awarding the penalty try, which Hallett easily converted.

Albion started the second half well and a good Hallett kicked forced Welsh into conceding a five-metre line-out almost straight away.

But, for about the only time that afternoon, Albion messed up the line-out and the chance went begging.

After that Welsh moved up a gear and it was like attack versus defence for 15 minutes. Yet Albion stopped everything Welsh threw at them.

Gibson and Lewsey brilliantly denied Greg Evans in the corner on 46 minutes before Tu'ipulotu prevented Shabbo from scoring on 58 minutes.

Hallett was then taken out with a late tackle, but no penalty was given and eventually Albion's fly-half had to go off in the 67th minute.

One minute later, Welsh cut the gap with a Thomas penalty after Albion had been penalised at a scrum.

The game's controversial moment came in the 70th minute when Cushion was taken out with another late tackle as he kicked up-field, which also forced him out of the game.

The touch-judge immediately flagged for the foul, but referee Debney did not realise for a full two minutes.

When he did eventually go over to talk to his fellow official he only awarded the penalty where Cushion was taken out – not where the kick had landed, as the rules state, which was on Welsh's 22 and would have been kickable.

Welsh, who had brought on all their replacements including ex-Scottish star Gordon Ross, continued to press.

But it looked like Albion had held out when four minutes into added time they turned Welsh over at scrum.

However, they did not keep hold of the ball and Welsh gathered and attacked. As they pressed in the middle of the field, Watts-Jones suffered his head injury in a clash with a Welsh opponent, but play continued.

Welsh threw it from side to side looking for a gap and after two minutes the extra man told with Thomas diving in at the corner. He then came so close to winning the match, only for the woodwork denied him.