Blackburn 0 - 0 West Brom

Tony Mowbray and his West Bromwich team sadly said goodbye to the Premier League for at least a season as Tugay took his leave to a rapturous reception from the Blackburn fans who have made him a favourite for the past eight years.

It was just one campaign up again in the top flight for manager Mowbray and his men and he hopes they can bounce straight back up.

But he insisted after this goalless draw against opponents who finished with 10 men following the sending-off of Jason Roberts that nothing was guaranteed, particularly with Newcastle and Middlesbrough joining them in the Championship.

Mowbray claimed this rather dull finale told some of the story of Albion’s season — but not all of it. ‘It’s frustrating because we can dominate games with the ball, but it’s not necessarily the story of our season because we did not concede a goal today and we have conceded more than anybody,’ said Mowbray.

‘We have got to go into next season believing we can bounce back. I believe we will be the best side most weeks, but that doesn’t guarantee winning matches. We’re all going to wait to see what Newcastle and Middlesbrough are going to do because they have been in the Premier League for a long time.’

The visitors were certainly closer to a breakthrough goal with Chris Brunt seeing a power drive turned on to a post. But Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce felt his side could have gone on to win but for the red card shown to substitute Roberts by referee Mike Jones after 70 minutes.

‘It’s sad that I’m talking about that rather than Tugay’s performance or a goal,’ said Allardyce. ‘The referee has said he has sent him off for punching Jonas Olsson, but it’s not pushing or elbowing. It’s swinging the arm to get Olsson away from him.’

Tugay, the 38-year-old Turkish midfielder, retires with the gratitude and admiration of everyone at Blackburn.

‘To be a Premier League player at the age of 38 takes more than ability. He knows where to ply his trade correctly and at the right time,’ said Allardyce.
Sent off: Jason Roberts

Although Tugay is keen to go into coaching, Allardyce made it clear he would have to wait for a job at Blackburn.

‘I don’t know what role he could perform because he has no qualifications at the moment.’

West Brom 3-1 Wigan

Two goals from Marc-Antoine Fortune and another from Chris Brunt breathed new life into West Brom's bid to escape relegation.

Fortune's eighth-minute header was cancelled out by Hugo Rodallega's deflected free-kick but after the break Brunt converted his own penalty rebound and Fortune made the points safe in the 73rd minute.

The win, the Baggies' second in three matches, lifts them to 31 points and just three from safety.

However, their goal difference is currently inferior to Hull's and it may yet require four points from their final two matches to pull off the Great Escape.

If there is a growing belief at the Hawthorns, the opposite is happening at Wigan who seem to be coasting towards the end of the season having secured their top-flight future more than a month ago.

Their problem since the turn of the year has been scoring goals and that lack of confidence showed early on.

Rodallega volleyed wide and Antonio Valencia opted to pass rather than shoot with only goalkeeper Dean Kiely - in for the injured Scott Carson - to beat.

They were made to pay in the eighth minute when Brunt's square pass into the penalty area caught out the visiting defence, allowing Gianni Zuiverloon to shoot.

Chris Kirkland did well to parry but succeeded in only diverting it up in the air where the unmarked Fortune gratefully headed home.

It was Kirkland's last action as he went off injured moments later to be replaced by Richard Kingson.

By contrast, West Brom's second-string goalkeeper made a brilliant triple save at a Wigan corner when he blocked Charles N'Zogbia's first shot, saved Paul Scharner's rebound and turned N'Zogbia's close-range follow-up around the post.

It was not long before Kingson was in the game, however, palming Menseguez's shot wide after the on-loan Argentinian had put Titus Bramble on his backside with a neat turn in the penalty area.

West Brom were to regret missing that chance as, in the 17th minute, Rodallega finally ended his 11-match goal drought since signing in January.

The Colombia striker's 25-yard free-kick took a significant deflection off Brunt in the wall to wrong-foot Kiely, who could not keep the ball out despite his desperate efforts on the line.

Rodallega visibly grew in confidence and a driving 30-yard diagonal run from the halfway line ended with a fierce strike which just dipped over the crossbar.

Undeterred West Brom continued to push forward and Shelton Martis headed Jonathan Greening's 32nd-minute corner wide after beating Kingson to the ball while Fortune denied first by a perfectly-timed Scharner tackle and then by Kingson at his near post.

Valencia should have put the visitors ahead in stoppage time when he ran through on goal after nicking the ball off Jonas Olsson but he shot straight at Kiely.

Kiely came to West Brom's rescue eight minutes into the second half when he saved Mario Melchiot's toe-poke from Valencia's cut-back.

However, he could only watch as Scharner's angled left-foot shot from the resulting corner rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.

With matches running out West Brom knew they had to go for victory and Greening, after somehow running unchallenged from the halfway line, forced a good save out of Kingson when he should have scored.

Such incidents often make the difference between staying up and going down but West Brom were gifted the lifeline they needed in the 59th minute.

Fortune had turned Maynor Figueroa close to the touchline but appeared to be going nowhere when Bramble clipped him and referee Peter Walton pointed to the spot.

Kingson guessed correctly and saved Brunt's spot-kick but was powerless to prevent the West Brom midfielder smashing home the rebound.

Fortune's second in the 73rd minute made the points safe for the Baggies.

Borja Valero broke down the right and pulled the ball back to the striker and he controlled, did just enough to shift Melchiot to give him a sight of goal and fired low into the bottom corner.

As if things could not get any worse for Wigan, Zaki was carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute.

For the Latics the season cannot end soon enough but a rejuvenated West Brom want it to go on just a little longer.

West Brom 1 - 1 Bolton

Koren late show denies Megson the perfect return.

Heads up: Bolton's Gary Cahill, center, and Jussi Jaaskelainen, center left, battle for the ball with West Bromwich Albion's Jonas Olsson

Gary Megson was more upset by Bolton's failure to complete the victory he insists they deserved than the sending-off which marred his emotional return to The Hawthorns.

The former Albion manager was given a standing ovation at the start by supporters who remembered how he led them to two promotions in three seasons before being given the sack five years ago.

While the Albion fans spent much of the following 90 minutes yelling complimentary chants in his direction, Megson's team set about trying to secure a victory and they were only denied by Robert Koren's deflected shot eight minutes from time.

But Megson's frustration grew over his inability to make a late substitution and he vented his anger at a linesman and was sent to the stands by referee Howard Webb, to sour an afternoon which had begun so promisingly.

Good fortune: Robert Koren (right) celebrates after Bolton Wanderers' Dan Shittu deflected his cross into his own net

'The reception I got from the West Bromwich fans was humbling because I wasn't expecting it,' said Megson.

'But I've no complaints about being sent off. I got the hump with the referee. I told the linesman I want to get Ebi Smolarek on at the next break in play. But when the ball went out they just carried on.'

Megson was far less sanguine about the result that keeps Bolton too close to the relegation battle for comfort.

'I'm not happy with a point,' he said. 'I thought we were well on top and I can't remember them having a shot apart from the goal - even that wasn't on target until it hit Danny Shittu on the thigh and was deflected in.'

The feature of the match was an individual contest between hardshooting Matt Taylor of Bolton and Albion's former England keeper Scott Carson.

Eventually, Taylor volleyed in from 20 yards in the 67th minute. Then an injury to Sebastien Puygrenier caused disruption in Bolton's defence and that led to the equaliser when Koren's cross-shot was deflected in.

The draw leaves Albion firmly rooted to the foot of the table and their boss Tony Mowbray said: 'Those are the sort of games we hope to win.'

West Ham 0 - 0 West Brom

Marc-Antoine Fortune is challenged by West Ham United's Matthew Upson

Basement club West Brom failed to take advantage of an injury-hit West Ham side in a mediocre draw at Upton Park.

The Baggies had the best chances, with Jonathan Greening firing over, James Morrison seeing his shot saved and Shelton Martis hitting the bar.

West Ham rarely threatened, although both David di Michele and Savio should have hit the target with their efforts.

The home side also had centre-back Matthew Upson carried off in the first half with a leg injury.

However, it was later revealed that Upson was walking freely after being taken into the tunnel on a stretcher.

That was the only bit of good news for Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola, who watched his side produce a below-par performance.

The Baggies conjured up the best and only clear chance of the first half when Morrison was inexplicably allowed to weave into the penalty area before firing in a low shot that was saved by the feet of Robert Green.

West Ham failed to come up with anything as exciting in the West Brom box during that period, although the spritely Freddie Sears had an effort on goal blocked, while his other shot was deflected on to the roof of the net.

The Hammers cause was certainly not helped by the injury to centre-back Upson, who was replaced by Jonathan Spector.

West Ham improved slightly after the break but again failed to give Scott Carson much of a workout in the West Brom goal.

Both Di Michele and Savio, making his first start, should have tested the keeper but both fired wildly over.

West Brom wasted two good chances to punish the London side but first Greening dinked his shot over the bar from six yards and then Martis powered his header on to the bar from closer in.

Three points would have given the basement side a glimmer of hope of survival but at the end of the 90 minutes it seems Tony Mowbray's team will now need a miracle.