ALEX LIVESEY/RICHARD PELHAM brotnSr 'J&lSL tXSLJESk Moment of truth: Manchester City’s players watch the penalty shootout in the Second Division playoff final and Andy Morrison, below, celebrates their win

CAUGHT IN TIME City save best till last

Manchester City win the Second Division playoff final in 1999. By Greg Struthers

H ere are a few questions. Are you a Manchester City fan? Were you at Wembley on Sunday, May 30, 1999 for the Second Division playoff final against Gillingham? Did you leave before the final whistle when Gillingham led 2-0 with two minutes to go? If so, you won’t be doing that again. Andy Morrison was one of those who didn’t miss a moment of the game. Hired eight months before to haul the club kicking and screaming out of third-tier football — their lowest level in an esteemed history — Morrison didn’t quite get the job done. The Manchester City captain’s knees lasted an hour of the final, courtesy of painkilling injections, and he then had to sit on the bench to watch the rollercoaster ride. Gillingham, under manager Tony Pulis, went ahead in the 81st minute when Carl Asaba pierced the City defence. Rob Taylor made it 2-0 with four minutes to go. Game over? “I honestly thought that was it,” says Morrison. “It was a case of heading off for our summer holidays without the match bonus for winning and preparing to play in the Second Division again the next season.” With a minute remaining of the 90, Kevin Horlock latched onto a loose ball and drove it into the Gillingham goal to give City some hope at 2-1. The Gills fans began whistling for full-time when...