following ardiles' surprise departure, west brom appointed his assistant keith burkinshaw to the manager's seat. the baggies survived relegation back to division two at the end of the 1993–94 season, but only because they had scored more goals than rivals, birmingham city. safety was assured on the final day thanks to a 1-0 win over portsmouth - lee ashcroft's goal sending the 10,000 strong army of fans in raptures.