While more Baggies fans will have been at the home match the following Sunday, those like myself that were present at Valley Parade on Saturday 13th April 2002 will almost certainly mark the conversion of an injury time penalty by Igor Balis as the moment that a return to the top flight of English football was assured. There may have…
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On Friday 5th April 2002, Steve Claridge became the toast of Baggies fans has his penalty for Millwall at the New Den condemned Wolves to yet another defeat and Albion now had automatic promotion in their own hands. Win all their games and the Baggies were promoted, and the first target was Rotherham United who travelled to the Hawthorns for…
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Three days after the Good Friday victory over Barnsley, Megson’s side travelled to Highfield Road to take on Roland Nilsson’s Coventry City on what proved to be a pivotal day in the promotion run-in. Albion went into the game knowing that victory would move them level with Wolves after their Black Country neighbours had become the April fools having been…
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Having reduced the deficit to second placed Wolves to three points, the Baggies hosted Barnsley at the Hawthorns on 30th March 2002 for game 42 of a compelling Division One season. Jordão was becoming a key goalscorer in these closing games and it was the Portuguese that broke the deadlock just after the half hour. When Barnsley failed to properly…
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Tuesday 26th March 2002 saw Albion given the chance to narrow the gap to Wolves to just three points as they played their game in hand over their Black Country rivals. Crewe Alexandra were the visitors to the Hawthorns that evening. Dario Gradi’s side sat just a point above the bottom three although they had three games in hand over…
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Less than a week after the Battle of Bramall Lane, Albion were on the road again and travelled to the City Ground, Nottingham, on Friday 22nd March 2002 looking to keep up the pressure on Wolves who were playing the following day. That morning, the Football League confirmed that the 3-0 scoreline when the match against Sheffield United was abandoned…
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