West Brom provide historic send-off for Sir Alex Ferguson

He may have been hoping for a winning send off at his 1,500th game in charge of Manchester United.

But he was denied victory by a spirited West Bromwich Albion side who bounced back from a three-goal deficit to clinch a point with a dramatic 5-5 scoreline.

Before kick-off Sir Alex had come out of the tunnel to be greeted by a guard of honour formed by players from both sides, mascots and officials. There was thunderous applause from both sets of fans, albeit with some booing, as he walked on to the pitch.

After waving at the 2,600 United supporters and the crowds in the home stands, he began signing as many autographs and programmes as he could by the away dug out.

• Sir Alex Ferguson’s big send-off at West Brom marred by crowd trouble

The away fans had been chanting his name long before kick-off and many had brought huge, red and white banners and flags with them with messages for the manager.

One read: "Fergie the great, another said: "Only one Alex Ferguson" while one of the largest said: "Thank you dinosaur. You made us winners and you made our dreams come true."

In a comical moment the retiring manager was handed a packet of chewing gum by Albion mascot Baggie Bird, a nod to his habit of chewing throughout a game to tackle his nerves.

After the match Sir Alex returned to pitch to wave, bow and a blow a kiss to the travelling fans for one last time.

After mouthing the words 'thank you' he walked back to the tunnel, all smiles but looking slightly emotional.

And back in the dressing room, he reportedly marked the end of his managerial career by enjoying a glass of red wine.

West Brom fans on Sir Alex Ferguson's last game taking place at the Hawthorns:

He was also presented with a personalised cake by Albion chairman Jeremy Peace in the boardroom. Before leaving the stadium he signed autographs and posed for pictures for the match officials and waved to the crowd gathered outside.

At one point during the afternoon, it had looked like Sir Alex may record yet another win to end his career after Albion were 3-0 down after 30 minutes and some Baggies fans were seen leaving the stadium in disappointment. But they were able to pull a goal back before half-time but United continued to dominate, leading 5-2 before goals from Romelu Lukaku and Youssouf Mulumbu brought the teams level.

Delighted Baggies fans celebrated as the final whistle went and the majority stayed to watch the players do their lap of appreciation around the ground.

Among those who witnessed the momentous occasion was life-long Albion fan Paul Burton. The 42-year-old telecoms engineer, of Milking Bank, Dudley, had taken along his six-year-old son Jacob.

"It was one of the biggest games I have ever seen down at the Hawthorns. It was truly superb.

"I would never have predicted that score-line in a million years.

"I think Alex Ferguson has dealt with everything with great dignity," he said.

Season ticket holder Matt Taylor, aged 44, said he was pleased with the final result, despite the poor start to the match.

"We were pretty poor to begin with but in the last 25 minutes of the game, we were great. If we could have played like we did in those last 25 minutes since Christmas then we could have finished higher in the league," said the maintenance operative of Hednesford.

Npower worker Simon Palmer, aged 25, of Gornal, said: "It was quite unbelievable. And to be there for Alex Ferguson's last game and for a result like this to happen, you couldn't make it up.

Wednesbury resident Benjamin Miller, aged 19, a student at the University of Southampton, said it was day Albion fans 'will never forget'.

"I was hoping we wouldn't let too many goals in and when we went 3-0 down, I thought 'here we go'. But the turn around was remarkable.

"And it's great that we get to share a place in the history books with Alex Ferguson.

"Everyone will remember that his last game was at the Hawthorns.

"I am sure our fans will never forget this day the rest of their lives," he said.

Match day programme sellers also had a busy day, with all 20,000 special edition copies selling out before kick-off.

One fan reportedly snapped up 700 copies of the 144-page programmes, which cost £4 each, while another bought 300.

Some were already being advertised for sale on Ebay before the match had got underway.

During the game, the club announced via it's official Twitter account, that it would be running a re-print.

They are expected to be available at the club shops and via the website later this week.

Simon Gambon, aged 53, from Guns Village, West Bromwich, was one of the lucky ones to get their hands on a programme after queuing up for 15 minutes.

"They are proving to be like gold dust. I couldn't believe the size of the queue when I bought mine. But I'm glad I got one, it could be worth quite a bit in a few years,"said the mechanical engineer.

For United supporter Gary Davies, aged 31, who had travelled from Salford for the match, it was both a memorable and a 'sad' day.

"I am sad to see Fergie go. He's been like a grandfather to us all. We will never have another manager who is as committed and so well-respected as him. I wish him only happiness for the future,"he said.

The momentous football match also broke all-time Premier League records for being the first in its history to end in a 5-5 draw.