30 years since United's famous win over Sheffield Wednesday

Alex Ferguson's side were tasked with ending a championship drought dating back to 1967 and had agonisingly just failed to do that in 1991/92 when Leeds pipped us to the post in the last season of the old Division One.

After a bad start to the new campaign, comprising two defeats and a draw in the first three games, the Reds forced ourselves into contention to win the title. At kick-off on Saturday 10 April 1993, we were one point behind the leaders Aston Villa with six matches apiece left to play.

With nerves jangling, and the scars of 1991/92 still raw, United were being thrown off course when Sheffield Wednesday took the lead in the 65th minute through Stretford-born John Sheridan's penalty, after Paul Ince fouled Chris Waddle inside the box.

It was one of the first decisions made by stand-in referee John Hilditch, who was forced to replace Mike Peck when the official went off injured.

The Theatre of Dreams was stunned but the response stirred the crowd into life again. Although Chris Woods performed superbly in goal for the visitors, and former Reds defender Viv Anderson was in dominant form at the back, the pressure finally told when Steve Bruce soared to divert a terrific header into the top corner, above Nigel Worthington on the goalline. Game on at 1-1.

Contrary to common recollections, that equaliser came comfortably within normal time, in the 86th minute. But injury time would be lengthy, after the breaks in play for the change of referee and the treatment for a couple of injuries, including one for Bruce.

The red tide kept coming, as news filtered through that chief title rivals Aston Villa had been held 0-0 at home by Coventry City. Suddenly, a day that was looking calamitous was capable of becoming pivotal.

The Owls continued to repel United's attacks until the 96th minute, when all the pressure, expectation and tension was lifted in a moment of sheer ecstasy. When a Ryan Giggs cross was retrieved by Gary Pallister, the giant centre-back prepared to send the ball back into the danger zone. A flick off defender Worthington took it invitingly into the path of the onrushing Bruce, who nodded in his second goal of the afternoon.

What followed will live forever in the memory. As players and fans rejoiced, Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd let their emotions show on the touchline, with Kiddo kneeling on the pitch and praying to the football gods. 

The decisive goal came so deep into injury time that Wednesday boss Trevor Francis complained it had been scored "in the second leg". The phrase 'Fergie time' was born.

"That night, I watched the video of the second half and used my stopwatch to time all the stoppages for injuries and substitutions," wrote Sir Alex in his autobiography. "There should, in fact, have been an additional 12 minutes."

Circumstances dictated that there would be so much stoppage time and this was United seizing our moment, controlling our destiny.

The title was not yet won, far from it. Yet this was the game that many fans of a certain vintage will point to as when everything seemed to change. The albatross around our necks had been banished.

United were on the brink of not only lifting the main prize for the first time in 26 years but embarking on the most glorious spell of success in our illustrious history. This is a story that will always be told at Old Trafford.