Swansea booked their place in the npower Championship play-off final at Wembley with a 3-1 aggregate win over Nottingham Forest in front of a record home crowd of 19,816, after a scoreless first leg. It is the East Midlands side's fourth failed play-off attempt in nine seasons and a fourth for boss Billy Davies since 2005 having missed out twice with Preston and now with the Reds.
The Swans could now face a Wembley showdown with south Wales rivals Cardiff, who face Reading in the other semi-final on Tuesday night.
Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers was understandably delighted.
"They've been absolutely fantastic," Rodgers told Sky Sports. "I've been proud of them all season, no matter what happened in the play-offs.
"I think we showed everything. We played football and then we had to be resilient.
"It was a wonderful match, fantastic for the viewers and a great, great win for us.
"It's been a fantastic semi-final. Forest are very good side. They pass the ball and have got players that can hurt you.
"At 2-0, they had chances and hit the bar as well, but I can't speak highly enough of my players. They're a wonderful group."
"I said before the game I hoped the 20,000 sounded like 50,000 and hopefully you heard that on television," said Rodgers.
"It encouraged the players right the way through the game and the atmosphere was magnificent tonight."
Forest counterpart Billy Davies believes he is still the man to take Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League, having just 12 months left of his long-term deal remaining.
Asked if he was still the man to take Forest forward, Davies told Sky Sports 1: "I've got no doubt about that.
"There is one year left of a three-and-a-half-year agreement with the Forest board and I have got no doubt that we have already started, as a staff, preparing for next season and what we've got to do.
"What we will do is we will certainly go and enjoy a good break along with the players. We will certainly plan and prepare, again, for a start of a new season.
"And we will look forward to what will be another fantastic year and a fantastic challenge."
Davies said: "Second half, I've got to say, there's no doubt, great response from the players.
"It was much better quality. Bar twice, post once, looked like it could have been a penalty kick.
"Sometimes, as I said before the game, you get to this situation and it is all about Lady Luck and refereeing decisions. And that is what you have got today."
