Pallister: I crossed it like Beckham!

The England international had been part of the side that agonisingly missed out on the championship to Leeds United in the final campaign of the old Division One, in 1991/92. Twelve months on and with the Reds bidding to end 26 years of chasing that objective, the pressure was cranked up when Wednesday took a second-half lead through John Sheridan's penalty.

The spot-kick had been awarded by John Hilditch, the substitute referee who replaced Mike Peck, when he was forced off with an Achilles problem. The lengthy period required for the change, in addition to a couple of injuries, led to the additional minutes that spawned the whole concept of 'Fergie time'. Nonetheless, there is a common misconception that Steve Bruce's equaliser actually came before the end of normal time.

As the Reds laid siege to Chris Woods's goal, seeking a winner, Pallister popped up on the right wing to deliver a cross that deflected into the path of his centre-back partner Bruce, who nodded the ball in to spark scenes of sheer jubilation at the Theatre of Dreams.

"What are my memories? First and foremost, I remember the referee getting injured and it did take forever for them to find a replacement," Pallister told us.

"They got someone inside the ground to be linesman and then the linesman became the referee. I know people say 'Fergie time' and all that but it seemed to take forever to find someone, at least seven minutes.

"I remember us going 1-0 down and I had the same feeling as the Nottingham Forest game from the previous season, when we blew it. I never felt more sick after a league game than I did that night. It felt like we had given Leeds a boost [in the 1991/92 title race].

"It almost felt to me, looking back, that we lost the title then. I remember we absolutely battered Forest but they beat us 2-1 with their two shots on target.

"Sir Alex left Sparky [Mark Hughes] out and selected Mark Robins instead but Forest had Nigel Clough at centre-half. Nigel was a good footballer but no centre-half and Sparky would have probably destroyed Clough. The manager didn't know that before the teamsheets were out and made the decision to play Robins."

Fast forward to April 1993 and the struggle with Sheffield Wednesday in the Saturday-afternoon sunshine brought a feeling of deja vu for Pallister, amid real fears of United coming up short again in the title race and being unable to shake off the psychological barrier provided by such a long wait to end the drought.

"So I was thinking this during the game," admitted the former centre-back. "That it would have a real adverse effect on the team. 

"We were getting beaten 1-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday, in a game we should be winning. Chris Woods, in goal, was in scintillating form. Viv Anderson, at the back, was heading everything away and having a great game for them. We were like: 'Viv, you're our friend! What are you doing?' John Sheridan took their penalty, he was a Manchester United fan. All the stars were aligning to stop us winning the game.

"Then we got back into it with Brucey's first header, which looped over Woodsy and Robbo [Bryan Robson] then smashed into Nigel Worthington on the line. I remember that because he apologised. It was the first time I'd ever seen him apologise for a tackle!"

In a frenetic finale, there was a climax that shook Old Trafford to its rafters. Just when it looked like Wednesday had repelled all attempts of forcing a winner, Pallister and his defensive partner Bruce combined to spark those wild scenes of celebration, which included Sir Alex and his assistant Brian Kidd showing their emotions on the touchline.

"It was a wonderful assist," laughed Pally. "I've seen people asking 'what the hell was Pallister doing there?'

"I was trying to attack the ball at the far post and it went over everybody, so I just reacted to it, got it down and I pictured in my head I was going to cross it like Dave Beckham. It wasn't quite 'a Becks' but I tried to put a bit of whip on it, which is maybe what caused it to slice off the defender's head. It fell to Brucey perfectly in the box and he attacked the ball so well, Steve.

"It got us the win and the place went absolutely mental. The players were going crazy. I didn't see the manager and Kiddo's reaction until after the game but, when I saw their celebrations, it showed what it meant to everybody. I remember coming in and thinking Villa would have thought we were dropping three points and what a shot in the arm it would be for them. After their game [they drew 0-0 with Coventry City], they saw the equaliser but thought we'd still dropped two points.

"Then bang, we got the winner. It must have been devastating for Villa, to be watching that at that particular time. So, psychologically, what a boost it was for us and a downturn for them. I look back on that game and think if we'd have lost it, what would have been the damage? Instead, we went on from there to seal the deal."