Great Escapes: How Premier League clubs beat the drop

After two consecutive victories in the Barclays Premier League Queen's Park Rangers' fans' hopes of their team staying in the division have been lifted after their position had appeared without much hope.

If Harry Redknapp's team do stay up, theirs will be the latest in a series of "great escapes" over the past 20 seasons of the Barclays Premier League. Premierleague.com looks back at eight clubs who have successfully battled against the odds to rescue themselves when all seemed lost.

Wigan Athletic, 2011/12

Despite being in the thick of a relegation scrap after just one win from their previous run of matches, Wigan Athletic went on a run of form fit for a title-challenging side, and seven wins from their final nine matches enabled them to secure comfortably their status in the Barclays Premier League.

Wigan were five points adrift of safety at the start of February, and remained rooted to the bottom with one win from their next six matches. But Roberto Martinez’s side turned it round by shocking Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to start an incredible run that took them seven points above the drop zone at the end of the season.

After their win at Anfield they beat Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle United and safety was secured in the penultimate match of the season, when they beat Blackburn Rovers to consign them to relegation.

End of season run-in:

24 March 2012: Liverpool 1 Wigan 2
31 March 2012: Wigan 2 Stoke 0
7 April 2012: Chelsea 2 Wigan 1
11 April 2012: Wigan 1 Man Utd 0
16 April 2012: Arsenal 1 Wigan 2
21 April 2012: Fulham 2 Wigan 1
28 April 2012: Wigan 4 Newcastle 0
7 May 2012: Blackburn 0 Wigan 1
13 May 2012: Wigan 3 Wolves 2

Fulham, 2007/08

Fulham looked set to join bottom club Derby County in the Championship for the 2008/09 campaign when they were losing 2-0 down away to Manchester City with twenty minutes remaining.

Roy Hodgson’s side were facing the possibility of being six points adrift of safety with two matches left, but they turned it round with goals from Diomansy Kamara (twice) and Danny Murphy gaining them all three points.

Fulham then beat fellow strugglers Birmingham City at Craven Cottage and a third consecutive win, against Portsmouth, was enough to keep up Roy Hodgson’s team on goal difference ahead of Reading.

End of season run-in:

26 April 2008: Man City 2 Fulham 3
3 May 2008: Fulham 2 Birmingham 0
11 May 2008: Portsmouth 0 Fulham 1

West Ham United, 2006/07

Paul Stalteri’s 96th-minute winner in Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-3 victory over West Ham United at Upton Park on 4 March 2007 left the Hammers 10 points adrift of 17th-placed Manchester City, having played two matches more.

With nine matches remaining, Alan Curblishley’s and went on to record three consecutive wins, including a 1-0 away win against title challengers Arsenal.

Two consecutive defeats followed, but another run of three wins in a row meant their fate was in their own hands on the final day of the season, when they travelled to champions Manchester United. Carlos Tevez scored the only goal, his sixth in the club’s last nine matches of the season to ensure safety.

End of season run-in:

17 March 2007: Blackburn 1 West Ham 2
31 March 2007: West Ham 2 Middlesbrough 0
7 April 2007: Arsenal 0 West Ham 1
14 April 2007: Sheffield United 3 West Ham 0
18 April 2007: West Ham 1 Chelsea 4
21 April 2007: West Ham 1 Everton 0
28 April 2007: Wigan 0 West Ham 3
5 May 2007: West Ham 3 Bolton 1
13 May 2007: Man Utd 0 West Ham 1

Portsmouth, 2005/06

An away defeat by Aston Villa left Portsmouth eight points adrift of West Bromwich Albion in 17th with 10 matches remaining.

But a stunning volley from Pedro Mendes in injury time against Manchester City at Fratton Park secured a 2-1 victory and was the first of three consecutive wins, including a 4-2 win away at West Ham United and six victories in their final ten matches, two more than they had won until then in the campaign.

End of season run-in:

11 March 2006: Portsmouth 2 Man City 1
18 March 2006: West Ham 2 Portsmouth 4
1 April 2006: Fulham 1 Portsmouth 3
8 April 2006: Portsmouth 2 Blackburn 2
12 April 2006: Portsmouth 1 Arsenal 1
15 April 2006: Portsmouth 1 Middlesbrough 0
17 April 2006: Charlton 2 Portsmouth 1
22 April 2006: Portsmouth 2 Sunderland 1
29 April 2006: Wigan 1 Portsmouth 2
7 May 2006: Portsmouth 1 Liverpool 3

West Bromwich Albion, 2004/05

Up until the 2004/05 season, the team who was bottom of the Barclays Premier League at Christmas had never avoided relegation, but Bryan Robson’s West Bromwich Albion side lifted the curse.

The Baggies had gone 15 Barclays Premier League matches without a victory when they beat Manchester City 2-0 on January 22, but it was not until March that their fortunes truly changed. Three wins in four matches and impressive away draws against Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester United meant that they could secure safety with a final day victory over Portsmouth, provided other results went their way.

They beat Portsmouth 2-0 and moved up from bottom to 17th on the final day of the season, at the expense of Southampton, Crystal Palace and Norwich City. The 2004/05 season was the only Barclays Premier League campaign where all three relegation places were decided on the final day.

End of season run-in:

6 March 2005: West Brom 2 Birmingham 0
15 March 2005: Chelsea 1 West Brom 0
19 March 2005: Charlton 1 West Brom 4
3 April 2005: West Brom 1 Everton 0
10 April 2005: Aston Villa 1 West Brom 1
20 April 2005: Tottenham 1 West Brom 1
23 April 2005: Middlesbrough 4 West Brom 0
26 April 2005: West Brom 1 Blackburn 1
2 May 2005: West Brom 0 Arsenal 2
7 May 2005: Man Utd 1 West Brom 1
15 May 2005: West Brom 2 Portsmouth 0

Bradford City, 1999/2000

In their debut season in the Barclays Premier League, Bradford City faced relegation after six consecutive defeats left them six points adrift of safety with five matches remaining.

But Paul Jewell’s side earned a 4-4 draw with Derby County before beating Sunderland and Wimbledon. A defeat by Leicester City followed, meaning that Bradford needed to better Wimbledon’s result on the final day of the season. Bradford faced Liverpool, who were aiming for a win to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, while Wimbledon travelled to Southampton.

An early David Wetherall goal put Bradford ahead and they held on to record a famous victory, while Wimbledon’s defeat by Southampton sent them down.

End of season run-in:

21 April 2000: Bradford 4 Derby 4
24 April 2000: Sunderland 0 Bradford 1
30 April 2000: Bradford 3 Wimbledon 0
6 May 2000: Leicester 3 Bradford 0
14 May 2000: Bradford 1 Liverpool 0

Southampton, 1996/97

With eight matches remaining in the 1996/97 season, Southampton were bottom and four points adrift, but four victories and three draws in their next seven fixtures meant they were safe when they faced Aston Villa on the final day of the season.

This run was sparked by Premier League debutant Micky Evans, who had spent most of his career in the Football League, but was bought at the start of March, and he scored four goals, including vital strikes in wins over Nottingham Forest and West Ham United.

End of season run-in:

22 March 1997: Southampton 2 Leicester 2
5 April 1997: Nott’m Forest 1 Southampton 3
9 April 1997: Derby 1 Southampton 1
12 April 1997: Southampton 2 West Ham 0
19 April 1997: Southampton 2 Coventry 2
22 April 1997: Sunderland 0 Southampton 1
3 May 1997: Southampton 2 Blackburn 0
11 May 1997: Aston Villa 1 Southampton 0

Oldham Athletic, 1992/93

The first Premier League season had a thrilling relegation battle, where Oldham’s strong finish allowed them to stay up by the narrowest of margins on a dramatic final day.

Oldham were four points adrift of safety with 13 games remaining of the 42-match season, having picked up just three points from the last 24 available. But a draw away at Everton followed by a shock 1-0 win against Barclays Premier League champions-elect Manchester United provided a platform for a late surge for survival.

The club’s only losses came against Norwich City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, and after two consecutive victories, on the final day, they needed to beat fellow strugglers Southampton and hope that Crystal Palace lost to Arsenal at Highbury. Then survival would go down to goal difference.

At one stage Arsenal were winning 3-0 and Oldham looked to be comfortable against Southampton, going 4-1 ahead, but Matthew Le Tissier’s two late goals made it a nervous finale for the Latics, but they held on and secured safety by a two-goal margin.

End of season run-in:

27 February 1993: Everton 2 Oldham 2
9 March 1993: Oldham 1 Man Utd 0
13 March 1993: Norwich 1 Oldham 0
20 March 1993: Oldham 2 QPR 2
22 March 1993: Middlesbrough 2 Oldham 3
3 April 1993: Oldham 6 Wimbledon 2
7 April 1993: Oldham 1 Sheffield Weds 1
10 April 1993: Liverpool 1 Oldham 0
13 April 1993: Oldham 1 Sheffield Utd
17 April 1993: Tottenham 4 Oldham 1
2 May 1993: Aston Villa 0 Oldham 1
5 May 1993: Oldham 3 Liverpool 2
8 May 1993: Oldham 4 Southampton 3