Local hero Dean Windass ends the 104-year wait for Hull City

Windass, 39, was rejected by the club as a youngster but cemented his place as the city's favourite sporting son with the crashing first half volley which decided the richest game in football.

The veteran striker's stunning effort was a rare moment of quality in a game in which two clubs who have been to the brink of extinction battled for an estimated prize of £60million in increased television and other revenues.

Glory boy: Hull City's Dean Windass lifts the Championship play off trophy

And the afternoon ended with Windass, who was named man of the match, tearfully kneeling in the penalty area in front of Hull's delirious support as the size of his and the club's achievement hit home

'It's unbelievable,' he said. 'It's absolutely surreal to score the winning goal. Fraizer Campbell picked me out and I just volleyed it and couldn't believe it when it went into the top corner.'

Less than a decade ago Hull were languishing in League Two and locked out of their Boothferry Park ground. Even last season they narrowly avoided relegation back to the third tier.

But a remarkable transformation under manager Phil Brown was completed by Windass's 15th goal of the season and their impressive home at the KC Stadium can now look forward to welcoming stars of the world game such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres.

'How fitting that Dean Windass should score the winner,' said Brown. 'It was written in the gods.'

The 1-0 defeat was a bitter blow for Bristol City, who had missed out on an automatic promotion spot because of a poor run of results at the end of the regular season.

After starting well, they conceded the initiative to Hull before Windass scored and then lost defender Bradley Orr with a depressed fracture of a cheekbone.

Gary Johnson's team enjoyed most of the possession and territory in the second half but rarely looked like scoring. Lee Trundle almost took the game into extra time but his late shot was deflected over the bar by Hull centre-back Michael Turner.

Bristol's hopes of back-to-back promotions all but died when substitute Darren Byfield sent a free header on to the roof of the net and then sliced a shot wide.

After four minutes of stoppage time, Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill palmed away one last desperate Bristol City cross, then referee Alan Wiley blew the final whistle and Windass defied his tired, ageing limbs to run towards his team's vociferous fans before collapsing in ecstasy.

City defender Orr was taken to hospital after collapsing on the pitch towards the end of the first half. Orr appeared to suffer a delayed reaction from an incident earlier in the game in which Hull's Nick Barmby accidentally caught him full in the face with his head.

The game was held up for several minutes as medical staff gave him oxygen and put him in a neck brace on the pitch before carrying him away on a stretcher.