Scunthorpe's victory against Huddersfield ensures Championship football for the first time in 43 years for the Iron. It is a remarkable achievement for a side on the brink of relegation from the League three years ago when they finished third from bottom.
The man who steered them into the Championship is manager Nigel Adkins who stepped up from physio to manager when Brian Laws left to take over at Sheffield Wednesday.
Adkins said: "It's difficult to put into words what it feels like. It is very emotional. There was a burden of expectation and I was trying to be calm but it turned out to be a great day. It has been a record-breaking season for us. Scunthorpe in the Championship for only the second time in the club's history, we went on an unbeaten run of 19 games and we won seven games on the spin. Now we are going to go and play some big clubs in the Championship next season."
Scunthorpe were doing well under previous manager Laws but Adkins has steered Scunthorpe into the Championship despite losing key players such as Andy Keogh in January. Adkins said: "We kept the dream going. I have lived here for 11 years and share the passion of the fans. The players have been magnificent."It is all about players. There are no egos in the dressing room and we all stood together and had a belief. We controlled the controllable and we kept processing our goals."
But Scunthorpe had to overcome stage fright before a double second half blast from talisman striker Billy Sharp who took his total for the season to 30.
Sharp said: "I was glad when we got the first and the second killed them off. I set myself a target of 20 goals this season. I scored 20 last season in my first full season but to get 30 this season is unbelievable and it was fabulous to get their today in front of our fans who have been magnificent.
"This is my second season in football and I am not going to forget it. We went to the top of the league in January and we haven't looked back since. No-one expected us to get promotion except ourselves. It's been a long season but we knew we had a good squad. We lost our manager and it was tough the first week but the gaffer took over from being physio and the last ten games have probably been our best of the season."
Andy Crosby bought into the prospect of Championship football and will now realise his dream. The central defender said: "I'm 34 years old and thought I would never get to play in the Championship. Now we have deserved our chance and we will give it a go. The spirit in the club is everything. If you have no spirit then you have no chance."
Promising defender Andy Butler has been out for most of the season but made only his second start of the season against Huddersfield. Butler said: "It's great to be back in the team after being out such a long time. It was a bit of a nervy performance but we controlled the game. There was an incredible atmosphere and lots of tension but this place is bouncing at the moment."
Having gained promotion Adkins has set his sights firmly on going up as Champions. He said: "We have been promoted and we will win the title next week at Tranmere."
