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| May 31, 2005 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1426 |
West Ham win
LONDON, May 30: West Ham United won promotion to the English Premier League by beating Preston North End 1-0 in the second division playoff final, the world’s richest club match, on Monday. Striker Bobby Zamora got the winner for the east London side from Matthew Etherington’s left wing cross 12 minutes into the second half with his 13th goal of the season.
West Ham, who lost the playoff final to Crystal Palace at the Millennium Stadium last year, return to the top flight of English football two years after being relegated.
Second division champions Sunderland and runners-up Wigan Athletic won automatic promotion. West Ham finished the season in sixth place, the lowest qualifiers for the playoffs. The trio replace relegated Southampton, Palace and Norwich City.
Consultants Deloitte said the match was worth 35 million pounds ($64 million) to the winners—Reuters
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