West Brom - 2 Crystal Palace - 0English League Division One: Amid wonderfully emotive scenes, West Bromwich Albion were joyously reunited with the highest echelon of English football yesterday, surviving a nerve-shredding finale to the First Division season with the victory they needed to take the second automatic promotion spot and condemn Wolves to the play-offs.
For Albion to win promotion was one thing. To have upstaged their most reviled neighbours in the process, having trailed Wolves by 11 points in mid-March, made this an occasion their supporters will never forget.
Goals from Darren Moore and Bob Taylor prompting scenes of mass jubilation as, up in Sheffield, those in black and gold digested the ramifications of the Black Country's judgment day.
Gary Megson's players had started the day a point clear of Wolves, knowing victory would be good enough but a draw would not suffice should their rivals win at Sheffield Wednesday.
News came through that Wolves had gone ahead. But after Neil Clement's free-kick had created confusion in a congested penalty area, Moore found himself in the right place at the right time to lash in the opening goal.
Before half-time a Wednesday equaliser had sent another ripple of ecstasy reverberating through the ground. Then, just a couple of minutes into the second half, the news came through that Wolves were losing 2-1. The fans erupted again. They eventually drew 2-2.
For a brief moment the Albion players must have wondered what was happening. But they quickly composed themselves and, a minute later, the Palace goalkeeper Alex Kolinko fumbled Clement's free-kick. Taylor gobbled up the rebound and the party could begin in earnest.
"We spoke about this being a special day and we did things a bit differently," Megson revealed. "I invited the players' wives and kids into the dressing room before we went out. I wanted to emphasise that there were a lot of other people to whom the result mattered."
It has been a remarkable achievement for a man who, as a player, was so badly affected by nerves he used to be sick before every match. Whoever cleans the Albion dressing rooms next season may be in for a trying year.
WEST BROM: Hoult, Gilchrist, Moore, Sigurdsson, Clement, McInnes, Johnson (Jordao 73), Balis, Adam Chambers, Taylor (Dobie 66), Dichio (Fox 90). Subs Not Used: Petterson, Cummings. Goals: Moore 17, Taylor 54.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Kolinko, Austin, Popovic, Granville, Rodger (Rubins 57), Mullins, Riihilahti (Kirovski 67), Hopkin, Fleming, Morrison, Akinbiyi (Black 47). Subs Not Used: Carasso, Berhalter. Booked: Mullins.
Referee: E Wolstenholme (Blackburn).
