To be told in June 2002 that these two men would be meeting again on a Friday night in a field in Wolverhampton within five years, one might have envisioned a post-apocalyptic future, in which the only entertainment was some sort of celebrity deathmatch organised by the reptilian overlords. Nothing so mundane as a lower league soccer match would have been countenanced. But lo, it came to pass, with Wolves facing Sunderland and most of the cameras facing the dugouts.

Of course the sting had been taken out of it all by that pesky loan deal.

The cherished notion that Keane may have taken on a role in management just so he could get close enough to demonstrate how to stick something up someone's bollocks had been dwindling by the day. Sky, to their credit, admitted as much before the kick-off.

Though the words "bitter vendetta" and "acid confrontation" were used, they were remarked of history rather than anything that might unfold before us.

All the same, when the presenter made the point that "we're not just here for a handshake", he was speaking only for himself.

See, to be drawn to this occasion wasn't necessarily a symptom of some sort of daft bloodlust or childish desire for playground antics. Since the pair's recent business dealings, this was always going to be a squib damper than the Amazon. But it remained the quiet epilogue of a drama that, for a period of time, consumed the conversations, and probably the lives of every single one of you reading these words. You were either a McCarthyist or a Keaneite. To vouch for neither was to virtually abstain yourself from society.

At exactly 8pm on Friday 24 November 2006, McCarthy approached Keane and they shook hands in front of a jostling scrum of flashbulbs. It was, inevitably, a functional affair, more suited to the still medium than moving pictures. When commentator Chris Kamara was asked his opinion on it he observed that "There wasn't a hug, which suggests they'll never be real friends." Lots of cuddles at Chris's birthday party then.

The game that followed was a lively affair, and the first half finished with a quality goal for Wolves struck by young Jemal Johnson. The diminutive Johnson then thought it would be big and clever to slide on his knees in front of Keane and engage him in a stare-off, like a dumb kid running a stick along a zoo cage. Keano just chewed his gum furiously until half-time before he unleashed hell on his side, who after a bright start had forgotten how to pass the ball and had their keeper to thank for still being the game.

It didn't get much better for Keane after the break, despite the withdrawal of central midfielder, captain and big sack of uselessness Dwight Yorke.

Wolves were now comfortably running the show, and missed an absolute sitter from six yards after 75 minutes.

As is the way of these things, Sunderland took the initiative and after the ball had rattled around the Wolves box for an age, Stephen Elliott finally had a shot that deflected into the net.

That Elliott was a Sunderland player because McCarthy had brought him there might have added another layer of Shakespearean drama to the occasion, but the truth is, there was little to put layers on. The match finished 1-1 and Keane approached McCarthy with a sheepish grin, acknowledging the ordinariness of his team's performance and good fortune in taking anything from the game. For a moment, they stood, both with one arm tentatively around the other. Did it count as an embrace?

Kamara, who appears to be an expert on such matters, was left criminally unasked.

All that was left now was the postmatch interviews. Keane was disappointed with the performance, credited his goalkeeper and admitted to administering a bollocking at half-time. Going for a drink with yer man after? "Well, yeah, " he grinned, "we got a draw so it's a bit easier than it might have been." As for McCarthy, he was a paragon of pacifism, "Everyone wanted to see a scrap, everyone was desperate for a bad reaction. But what they've seen here tonight, I hope it's an example for a lot of other people." Let's hope Israel and Palestine were watching.