Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 0
Call it gallows humour but there was something to admire about the supporters' spirit in turning the depressing final home match of a depressing campaign into this impromptu party.
The result was utterly meaningless. Mark McGhee's Brighton already knew they were going down, Glenn Hoddle's Wolverhampton Wanderers knew they were staying down. The massive queues for the bar when the half-time whistle blew said everything about how little anyone cared for what was happening on the pitch.
It took only a few lager-fuelled second-half minutes to earn the ultimate ignominious fate of any totally forgettable football match . . . a well-supported rendition of the 'Mexico Wave'. But is it to be the 'Molineux Wave', of goodbye to Hoddle?
If he manages to give the same confident, impassioned performance to the Wolves board next week that he gave to the gentlemen of the local press before this match he hasn't got a problem. He's nailed on for another year, at least.
The Wolves fans still clearly need convincing. But at least they all had a good time, cheerfully swapping banter with a noisy couple of busloads from Brighton.
When a Seagulls player, in one piece of clueless control, dribbled straight out of play, the visiting fans, to the vogue soundtrack currently beloved by football fans everywhere, sang: "That's why we're going down".
Joleon Lescott was caught dozing, allowing Alex Frutos a shot eventually blocked on the line by Keith Lowe, and Mark Kennedy shot wide, leaving the Wolves fans to respond with "That's why we're staying down".
When the Brighton fans began a chant of 'Hoddle for England' it was taken up with ironic glee by the South Bank. To even greater amusement, the travelling Seagulls replied with 'Hoddle for Scotland'.
There's only one man at Molineux definitely heading for Scotland, though.
Miller will not be the only departee from Wolverhampton this summer. But he's the only one who had the chance to say 'Goodbye' properly.
The Wolves fans' player of the season, in a tight vote ahead of Lescott and Lee Naylor, marked his departure with his 50th and last goal at this level.
Chants of ''We want Hoddle out' were ringing all round the ground when Wolves inexplicably won a corner, Rob Edwards' low cross having drifted across the six-yard box seemingly without anyone getting a touch, least of all the hapless Tomasz Frankowski.
But, from Kennedy's flag kick, Brighton's on-loan Manchester United defender Paul McShane threw up an arm (maybe he was just asking if he could leave the pitch?), and the ball hit it.
Miller stuck away his season's 17th goal from the resulting penalty . . . crucially only his tenth in the Championship for Wolves, of which three of his last five have been spot kicks!
Thankfully, the second half brought something more worth singing about.
Michael Oakes became the day's third former Aston Villa keeper on the pitch, marking his arrival with a fine block from Colin Kazim-Richards before a Frutos free kick trig-gered an astonishing scramble.
At the other end, Jeremie Aliadiere and Colin Cameron struck the woodwork while Carl Cort brought a late doub le save from Wayne Henderson.
But, with a banner saying "Sack the board" and ironic chants of "Disaster" - chief executive Jez Moxey's own description of Wolves' season - the afternoon was all about the Molineux regulars making their feelings known.
Their efforts were capped by one golden moment, in the middle of a spate of unrewarded attacks by the visitors when Brighton midfielder Paul Reid lobbed against the Wolves bar and the disullusioned home fans sang 'Hoddle, Hoddle start a wave'. What did they mean?
"I'm made of stern stuff," Hoddle said. "Hearing things like that just makes me more determined. You have to take it on the chin."
It must be some chin.
