MICHAEL Ricketts gets his 21st goal of the season on an historic evening at Barnsley. The 1-0 win sees Wanderers set an all-time club record of 13 away wins in a season, eclipsing the previous mark set in the 1904-05 season, and score their first win at Oakwell for more than 92 years. More importantly, it takes them back to just a point behind Blackburn in the race for automatic promotion, piling the pressure on Graeme Souness' Ewood boys to beat Portsmouth the following day. Gudni Bergsson picks up the Development Association Agents' Player of the Year award. Dean Holdsworth and Colin Hendry are joint runners-up.

SUNDAY

POMPEY take the lead at Ewood Park but Rovers recover to win 3-1 and restore their four-point advantage. With two games to play, it's not looking good. Wanderers suffer a complete snub in the PFA Awards as the Division One Select Xl is made up almost entirely of Fulham and Blackburn players.

MONDAY

AS Paul Warhurst and Nicky Summerbee join Colin Hendry on the casualty list, Sam Allardyce promises to go all out for a win at Wolves to put the pressure back on Blackburn. The manager criticises the PFA vote arguing: "If it had been down to me, all my players would have been given awards. The voting papers must have gone round when we were having a bad run."

TUESDAY

AWAY win number 14 comes at Molineux, where Dean Holdsworth and Michael Ricketts get the goals in a 2-0 win that breathes new life into Premiership dream. Blackburn still need two points from their remaining two games. Earlier in the day Allardyce expresses fears that, if Wanderers don't make the Premiership, they will have to make significant investment in new players next season or they will go backwards. He draws parallels with Wolves.

WEDNESDAY

IT'S the play-offs after all! A Matt Jansen goal 18 minutes from time gives Blackburn a 1-0 win at Preston and secures runners-up spot. Preston hit the post in the last minute - it's just not Wanderers' night.

THURSDAY

ALLARDYCE is upbeat about the play-offs but warns that finishing comfortably clear in third position counts for nothing. "We have to earn the right all over again if we are to get in the Premiership." he says. Graeme Souness is magnanimous in triumph and praises Allardyce. "When we went second I always thought we would open up a gap but Bolton made it hard for us and never gave up. Big Sam deserves a lot of credit for that."

FRIDAY

WANDERERS chairman, Phil Gartside, describes the Premiership as a "golden vision". Without the financial advantages of being in the top flight, he admits life will be hard again for Wanderers next year but, in an exclusive BEN interview, he says he doesn't share the same fears as his manager. "Hopefully we will make it but, if we don't, Sam will beg and borrow again and we'll be okay." he says optimistically.