Wanderers missed a golden opportunity to go joint top in Division Two when they let slip a 2-0 half time lead at home to leaders Chelsea in a tremendous promotion tussle in front of a 31,600 Burnden Park crowd.

There was trouble before the game with rival fans invading the pitch and churning up the turf. But the game itself was a classic encounter.

Neil Whatmore and Garry Jones got the goals that put Wanderers in charge at the interval but, after Steve Finnieston pulled one back for the visitors on 69 minutes, a sloppy back pass by Sam Allardyce allowed Kenny Swain to equalise for the Pensioners 18 minutes from time.

10 YEARS AGO: February 24, 1992

EVERTON'S former Republic if Ireland goalkeeper Gerry Peyton answered Wanderers' SOS but was unable to prevent Phil Neal's slipping to onlyu their second home league defeat of the season, 2-1 to Exeter.

Peyton was drafted in after Dave Felgate was injured in a training ground accident involving team-mate Tony Kelly. But things had gone off the boil at Burnden and Alan Ball's Exeter made an already subdued crowd of 5,631 even quieter.

Andy Walker - signed permanently after an exciting loan spell - gave them a glimmer of hope when he cancelled out Tom Kelly's early strike for the Deven men but Paul Wimbleton's snatched the points with a late winner.

An exasperated Neal said "They seemed frightened to death to play at home - frightened to death to express themselves. We just weren't good enough."

5 YEARS AGO: February 24, 1997.

COLIN Todd says he is prepared to make full use of his squad in a 'horses for courses' approach to secure promotion to the Premiership.

Going 10 points clear at the top of Division One with a determined 2-1 win at Huddersfield, Wanderers are just 12 games away from clinching their return to the top flight.

And the way the manager is talking, no-one is likely to be getting complacent. "I value continuity," Todd says, "but I'll select what I think is the best side for each game. I've got to look at certain areas for certain games."

Gerry Taggart had been under pressure but was in good books again after his performance at the McAlpine where he and fellow centre-back, Chris Fairclough, were the unlikely goalscoring heroes.