At the close of the 1997–98 season, he was selected not only to referee the old First Division play-off semi-final second leg, but the Final itself. The semi-final second leg occurred on 13 May 1998, between Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town at The Valley, and Charlton progressed by winning this 1–0 for a 2–0 aggregate score. The Final took place at Wembley on 25 May 1998, and Charlton's opponents were Sunderland. The score being 3–3 at the end of 90 minutes, extra time was played, and a further one goal each was converted during that period. This meant that a penalty shoot-out was necessary, and Charlton gained a 7–6 "sudden death" triumph to secure their place in the Premier League for the 1998–99 season.