On this day: West Brom beat Wolves to second

The Football League would present final fixtures of the season for most clubs that weekend barring those who got into the play-offs, writes Craig Birch.

The English game were making an effort to get wrapped up early, with the year's World Cup on the other side of the world in South Korea and Japan to consider.

Coming into play, the Black Country was abuzz with the prospect of a battle for the second automatic promotion spot in the First Division, with Manchester City already champions.

Albion were a point ahead of Wolves as they kicked off on a fateful day at the Hawthorns, with visiting Crystal Palace having all-but-nothing to play for.

Sixteen years, 730 league games, 11 managers and two relegations had passed since the last time the Baggies had graced the top division, way back in 1987.

After the end of the 90 minutes, tears rolled down the cheeks of grown men, jubilant grannies waved flags and kids danced on the pitch in absolute jubilation.

Boss Gary Megson, rather than play down the occasion, took the unusual step of lining up 16 fans in the dressing room before kick off to illustrate what was at stake.

It was, by no means, a stylish performance but the team delivered it when it mattered, after a scare where goalkeeper Russell Hoult saved brilliantly from Danny Granville's deflected 25-yard effort.

Nerves started to settle among the home faithful when the deadlock was broken in the 16th minute, deafening cheers meeting Darren Moore's finish from Neil Clement's free-kick.

That seemed to finish Palace off there and then, but the jitters would not go away until a second goal came along. An edgy half-time came and went, before the action resumed.

If the first strike was met with a loud din, the second nearly took the roof off the place. 'Super Bob' Taylor - witnessed by daughter Chantelle on her 11th birthday - was their hero.

He was nearly always in the right place at the right time and was again on 55 minutes, prodding the ball home after Palace goalkeeper Alex Kolinko failed to hold another Clement free-kick.

It sill seemed like an age to the final whistle but, as the match entered stoppage time, the public address system implored fans to stay off the pitch at the final whistle. What a waste of breath.

On poured most of the 26,712 spectators onto the playing surface ,with Megson and Co mobbed like heroes. In the end, Wolves' result at Sheffield Wednesday hadn't mattered a jot.

To make matter worse for their followers, Wolves had no one but themselves to blame. Dave Jones' side had squandered an 11-point lead over Albion, with nine game of the campaign left.

They had took 7,000 supporters to Hillsborough who filled the Leppings Lane End and it had taken all of 47 seconds for every man, woman and child there to rise to their feet.

Colin Cameron stabbed home Nathan Blake's low cross inside the first minute and it was a lead they held for most of the first-half, before Wednesday nabbed a lucky equaliser.

Simon Donnelly barely knew anything about the deflection off his thigh and into the net, after goalkeeper Michael Oakes had palmed away Matthew Hamshaw's free-kick.

It came two minutes before the break and, on 54, there was worse to come. This time, Shefki Kuqi tapped in after Paul McLaren had beaten both Oakes and Alex Rae to steer the ball into his path.

Wolves wouldn't give up, though, with the deficit wiped out two minutes later. Mo Camara's deep free kick found Joleon Lescott, whose looping header dropped in at the back post.

There could have been another twist in the tale, however. Kuqi was impeded by Ludovic Pollet in the box and referee Paul Durkin, without hesitation, pointed to the penalty spot.

Kuqi dusted himself off and stepped up but his tame spot kick was easily saved by Oakes, his first outright penalty save for the club. In the end, it finished a 2-2 draw.

There had looked to be no stopping Wolves, but they suffered badly when the goals from strike partners Nathan Blake and Dean Sturridge dried up. They lost in the play-offs to Norwich City.

Walsall also spent that season in the First Division, with Colin Lee trying to build on the great work of legendary boss Ray Graydon. They were already safe as they hosted Bradford City.

It was a day to celebrate another year to come at the level and they raced into a 2-0 lead inside 22 minutes, both goals coming from Steve Corica. He'd also worked under Lee at Wolves.

Bradford did stage a fight-back and left with a point, first Danny Cadamarteri halving the advantage before Gus Uhlenbeek put through his own net. It didn't matter a great deal.

Walsall players did their lap of honour before a mostly happy crowd of 8,079 at Bescot, with the Saddlers then going on to enjoy another two seasons of First Division football.