Bradford City 1 Portsmouth 3 ALAN BALL'S unlikely rescue bid at Portsmouth finally succeeded as they went on the rampage against uninspired Bradford, a result that relegated Manchester City, the club he was ironically sacked from two years ago. The Pompey boss also brought to an end his unpleasant record of managing clubs that have gone down with this tremendous win that will no doubt cement his role as club saviour at Fratton Park. Remarkably, it was a freak goal stemming from an error by former Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Walsh which started the Pompey chimes ringing. Walsh slipped on meeting Steve McAnespie's gentle back pass in the 40th minute, Sammy Igoe pounced on the error and pushed the ball to John Durnin, who was able to shoot into the empty net from near the penalty spot. Pompey were hanging on, in the knowledge that Manchester City's rampant win at Stoke and Port Vale's stroll at Huddersfield would send them down if they conceded an equaliser, when two goals in ten minutes allowed their fans to celebrate wildly. Igoe, homegrown by the youth scheme at Pompey, confirmed his finest day for the club with another goal on 65 minutes. Former Arsenal midfielder David Hillier won the ball from McAnespie and found left-back Matthew Robinson. He sped past the challenge of Darren Moore before finding Igoe free in the area, who hit home with glee. Nine minutes later the pressure was off as Durnin, the former Liverpool reserve striker, scored a third with a near post header from right-back Robbie Pethick's cross. As First Division safety was secured, the delight of the passionate travelling fans in the aptly-named Symphony Stand made the long journey worthwhile. Craig Ramage pulled a goal back for Bradford with only four minutes left but Pompey never looked like spoiling their own party. They even saw Bradford substitute Robbie Blake sent off after raising his elbow at Pethick. BRADFORD: Walsh, McAnespie (Blake 68), Jacobs, Ramage, Sinnott (Bower 72), Moore, Bolland, O'Brien, Grant (Steiner 56), Edinho, Pepper Sent Off: Blake (88) Booked: Sinnott PORTSMOUTH: Flahavan, Pethick, Robinson, Hillier, Waterman, Awford, Vlachos, Igoe, Svensson, Durnin, Thomson. Subs Not Used: Allen, Hall, Aloisi Att: 15,890 Ref: G Cain (Bootle)

RUDGE HAILS VALE FIGHTERS Huddersfield Town 0 Port Vale 4   DELIGHTED Port Vale manager John Rudge returned to his former club to clinch his current team's First Division survival in spectacular fashion. Goals from Martin Foyle, Lee Mills and a Jan Jansson double ensured Vale will return to the McAlpine Stadium next season and a perfect afternoon was completed for the visiting fans when their deadly Potteries rivals Stoke were relegated. Vale needed a win to be sure of safety and it looked likely midway through the first half when Jansson scored their second goal with a superb left-foot volley from Martin Foyle's flick-on. The visitors' nerves had been settled after only two minutes when veteran goalscorer Foyle volleyed in the opener. And when Jansson made it three-nil on the hour with an incredible 30-yard free-kick from near the right touchline, the party was in full swing. Some Huddersfield fans had promised the Midlanders an easy passage as a way of avenging Manchester City for the 10-1 humiliation they suffered against the Maine Road club ten years ago, and they certainly got it. Peter Jackson did the hard work over the winter, taking over a dire Terriers side and dragging them out of the drop zone, so it can be no surprise that they offered little resistance to an opponent desperate for the points. Just as Lee Mills made it 4-0 with eleven minutes left - a close-range header at the far post - Stoke went 4-1 down to City and Vale's fans were in dreamland. ''I came to Huddersfield as a 15-year-old - that seems an awful long time ago - and I have some tremendous memories of the place," said Rudge, who played five times for Town in the early 1960s. ''To come back here and clinch our own First Division survival makes the day even more special. ''We had four or five players who were tremendous. Overall, the season has been rather disappointing but at least we have survived and have a springboard to launch us towards next season.'' HUDDERSFIELD: Harper, Heary, Phillips, Dyson (Edmondson 74), Collins, Richardson, Lawson, Horne, Stewart, Barnes (Facey 46), Johnson (Morrison 46) Booked: Dyson PORT VALE: Musselwhite, Carragher, Tankard, Bogie, Glover, Barnett, Ainsworth, Talbot (Porter 81), Mills, Foyle, Jansson Subs Not Used: Naylor, Corden Att: 15,610 Ref: FG Stretton (Nottingham)

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