CELEBRATION TIME: Marian Pahars enyoys the moment in front of the delighted fans.

SUPER SAINTS will go marching into the new Millennium as a Premiership club after a glorious 2-0 win over Everton at The Dell.

Two quality goals from Latvian striker Marian Pahars secured top flight football for a 22nd successive season and surely secured the longed-for new ground.

That need was hammered home not just by the thousands who could not get in for this game but by those who did. For they must surely have weakened the foundations of the stadium with their chanting, cheering, shouting and stamping.

It was an unforgettable day of colour and celebration as the team took an early stranglehold on the game and never relinquished it to complete a Great Escape which surely surpassed even their own unlikely past achievements.

With Charlton losing 1-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday, Saints ended up an astonishing five points clear of the drop zone - an unthinkable cushion as recently as four weeks ago.

Ecstatic manager Dave Jones joined his players on an emotional lap of honour and then said: "It feels as though we have won the league!

"Congratulations to Manchester United on winning the championship but we feel just as excited because we are still in there with them.

"We said in December that the safety target would be between 40 and 42 points and we have hit that thanks to a storming run at home.

"And the fans have played a big part in that. They have got right behind us and their response as we went round the pitch at the end was unbelievable. I am absolutely overjoyed.

"We showed a lot of character and proved a lot of people wrong. There have been a lot of things said about the club but it has only made us stronger. We closed ranks and dug in and now we are there again - and it's a fantastic feeling!"

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.