VERDICT: Chelsea 1 Wanderers 1

8:22am Monday 12th May 2008

NOW they can party. Unfairly criticised by Sir Alex Ferguson for celebrating all week', Wanderers finally had something to celebrate at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

The Manchester United manager wondered if the Whites, who were out on the town last Sunday, had already switched off, thinking survival was in the bag, and feared they would give Chelsea an easy ride.

But he could not have been more wrong.

As it happened, United did enough by winning at Wigan to render events at the Bridge academic in terms of the title race, but Wanderers played their part valiantly - right to the glorious end.

Their superior goal difference had given them a decisive edge over Reading and Fulham, but they didn't settle for that and Matty Taylor's last-gasp equaliser after Andriy Shevchenko had given Chelsea the lead, gave them the satisfaction of securing their Premiership status for an eighth successive season by a clear point.

Nothing to go wild about, maybe, but the delight on the faces of the 3,000 jubilant Bolton fans who made the pilgrimage to the capital - many in fancy dress, all in full voice - acknowledged a job well done on the day and illustrated their relief that a traumatic season had ended on such a high: a five-match unbeaten run in which Gary Megson's never-say-die Whites collected 11 life-saving points.

What five weeks ago appeared to be "Mission Impossible" had turned into the "Great Escape" and, while survival is nothing to shout about when a team has finished in the top eight for the previous four seasons, it was an immense relief that, after all they had been through over the last 12 tortuous months, they had at least avoided the devastation of relegation.

Chelsea's destiny was shaped by events elsewhere: United's 2-0 win at the JJB Stadium meant the Reds retained their Premiership title by two clear points.

How galling that must have been for the watching Roman Abramovich, who has stumped up his millions in the hope of eclipsing his arch-rivals!

But they at least have the chance to redress the balance when the super powers go head-to-head in the European Cup Final in Moscow on May 21, although they may have to go there without inspirational captain John Terry, who was stretchered off early on with his left elbow dislocated.

Not something that is ever likely to concern Bolton Wanderers, although they did, as recently as last season, flirt with the prospect of actually qualifying for the Champions League.

That notion seemed light years away as Megson tried desperately to right the wrongs of the previous regimes and to earn for himself the opportunity to put his own stamp on the Reebok, which he will now be able to do in what promises to be a head-spinning summer of transfer trading.

Cause for celebration? Critics and disillusioned supporters will argue that it should never have come to this.

But, while Megson won't argue that particular point, he can take a certain satisfaction from having steered Wanderers through one of the most turbulent periods in their recent history.

Considering they were rock bottom with just five points from 10 games when he arrived on the scene to that infamously lukewarm reception in October, the down-to-earth Yorkshireman has done precisely what he was briefed to do.

He actually managed it with a game to spare, since Wanderers were effectively safe when they beat Sunderland at the Reebok eight days earlier.

But there was always a chance that things might go horribly wrong yesterday and many of those 3,000 would have had uncomfortably unhappy memories of a previous visit to Stamford Bridge for a last-day encounter.

There were tears on that sun-drenched afternoon in May, 1998 when Colin Todd's Wanderers were beaten 2-0 and relegated on goal difference.

Not this time though. Chelsea set off as if they meant business and Didier Drogba missed a golden opportunity from Michael Ballack's cross in the eighth minute.

Another Drogba effort, a free kick 12 minutes later, curled inches wide but that was the best Avram Grants' side had to offer in a first half that saw Wanderers launch a spirited rearguard action.

They never looked like scoring in that first period, but they didn't have to. Determination and organisation was the name of this particular game and they played it well. Whenever the first line was breached, the cover did its job with well-timed tackles and brave, if sometimes desperate, blocks.

Chelsea lost Terry after just 10 minutes - the unfortunate victim of an accidental collision with his own keeper Petr Cech. They'll miss him if he doesn't recover in time to make the Moscow showdown!

They actually missed him yesterday when Wanderers pressed so successfully - in typical Bolton fashion it must be said - to claim the unlikeliest of draws.

But it was Megson's centre-backs, the impressive partnership of Andy O'Brien and Gary Cahill, who were by far the harder worked.

They knew they'd be in for a tough test with damage limitation being the key to this particular contest, and that was how it turned out.

Cynics, actually suggested Megson was going over the top defence-wise by naming two substitute keepers, until it was revealed that Ian Walker - regular back-up for Ali Al-Habsi since Jussi Jaaskelainen was sidelined with a back injury two months ago - had complained of a stomach upset.

That put Jaaskelainen in the squad as cover, just in case. But he wasn't needed. Al-Habsi again proved a more than capable understudy with crucial saves from Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba and Joe Cole as Chelsea went all out for what they hoped would be a decisive winner.

The breakthrough came in the 62nd minute when substitute Shevchenko turned in Frank Lampard's shot but Wanderers weren't there just to make up the numbers.

El-Hadji Diouf was denied an equaliser by Petr Cech, Taylor headed against the bar and, cruelly, Stelios's stabbed effort from the rebound was cleared by Ashley Cole.

But with the seconds ticking away, Davies challenged for Gretar Steinsson's long throw and the ball fell for Taylor to jab a shot that deflected past Cech to make all talk of goal difference irrelevant.

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