SWANSEA booked their ticket to face Brentford at Wembley after seeing off dogged Barnsley at the Liberty Stadium.
Steve Cooper’s side were in the driving seat from the first leg, having come back from Yorkshire with a priceless 1-0 advantage.
And skipper Matt Grimes’ beautiful left-footed effort on the stroke of half-time seemed to have made it comfortable for the Swans.
But Brentford’s rousing comeback against Bournemouth earlier in the day proved that nothing can be taken for granted in the play-offs.
And Barnsley proved to make it difficult after all, with Cauley Woodrow hauling the Tykes back into the game in the 71st minute, as he swept home a crisp right-footed effort.
Barnsley knocked on the door, but Cooper’s side managed to hold on, moving one step closer to returning to the Premier League after three years away.
They will now face the Bees under the Wembley arch on May 29, in the ‘richest game in football’.
After the game, Swans skipper and goalscorer Matt Grimes told Sky Sports: “It wasn’t the prettiest game but we got the job done and dug in at the end.
“It means the world to me [to score] but to get us to Wembley and the chance of promotion is what it was all about.
“The fans were different class and it was great to get them back.
WIN £50,000!Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
WIN £50,000 with Dream Team Euros
Dream Team Euros is HERE!
The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
Dream Team Euros
- £50,000 jackpot
- The best fantasy football game this summer
- Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
- FREE to play
BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE
“In that last 20 minutes they threw the kitchen sink at us and we had to dig deep.
“We’ve come a long way under Steve Cooper in the last few years. We play good stuff when we need to but we also showed we can dig deep.
“We have the perfect blend, loads of experience and top players.”
⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
