After such drama two drained teams played out a goalless extra half-hour but when it came

After such drama two drained teams played out a goalless extra half-hour, but when it came to the penalty shoot-out Gillingham crumbled.The relieved City manager, Joe Royle, found the breath to comment: "My team never gives up. It just seemed like a consolation goal and the supporters continued to leave but would come to regret it. To give City further heart, the fourth official then held up his board indicating there would be four minutes of stoppage time.Much like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's winning effort in Barcelona, the goal that Paul Dickov scored to make it 2-2 was no classic but was priceless in the circumstances that surrounded it. After 86 minutes of this Second Division play-off final City were losing 2-0 and seemingly beaten by the underdogs from Kent, while their fans were making like Best and streaming out of Wembley.

Sadly for them, they were to miss an unlikely and unforgettable finish that was to eventually lead to promotion to the First Division. Gillingham had scored their goals after 81 and 86 minutes and City were looking down the barrel of another season in the Second Division, but the game was transformed in the 89th minute - as good a time as any to score, as all United fans will agree - when Kevin Horlock drove in a low shot from 18 yards to make it 2-1. MANCHESTER CITY fans didn't have a lot in common with George Best until this play-off final. Four days earlier the Manchester United legend had left the Nou Camp before the final whistle and so didn't see his old teams late, late European Cup-winning goals against Bayern Munich. Courier had a break point in the eighth game, but netted a backhand return off a second serve. The match was decided by a Courier counter-punch, a service return to the body that gave Rusedski, at 0-40, no alternative but to play a cramped backhand volley, which landed in the net.Courier triumphed, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 1-6, 8-6, after three hours and 47 minutes. "This is the kind of match that gets a lot of kids out wanting to play tennis," the American said "This is as good as it gets."JOHN ROBERTS.

Rusedski spent the rest of the evening trying to catch up, which was not easy given the inconsistency of his play: he hit 31 aces, but double-faulted 15 times and was foot- faulted 12 times.Rusedski continued to press in the final set, but was unable to create an opening. The only time Britain had ever won a tie from 0-2 down was against Germany in Berlin in 1930. Henman and Rusedski at least kept the tie alive by winning Saturday's doubles, defeating Martin and Alex O'Brien in five sets.To the delight of Sunday's enthusiastic crowd (another 10,000 capacity), and to the 7.8 million enthralled viewers watching BBC2, Henman levelled the match, 2-2, overcoming Todd Martin, who was nursing a strained stomach muscle, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6, after three hours and 17 minutes. Henman spent a total of 10 hours and 44 minutes on court over the three days.The outcome of the tie was in the hands of the No 2 players, Rusedski and Courier, in the fifth and final match And it was not decided until the fifth set. Courier won the opening set, breaking serve in the first game, in spite of Rusedski's three aces. Grand though the occasion was, the two leading Americans, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, chose not to travel, which proved to be their loss, not their country's.The Britons, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, realised that whoever played would be a huge challenge.