Nottingham Forest have been promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years with a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the Championship playoff final at Wembley on Sunday.
An own goal secured the victory for the Reds, meaning the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool will be playing at the City Ground next season.
Thousands of fans descended on Wembley Stadium for the first time in 30 years as the team looked to get back into the top tier of English football after a 23-year exile.
Fans also flooded into Nottingham itself as pubs up and down the city, including the Boot Room next to the City Ground, were filled with Reds fans cheering on their team during the match.
The game was a fast-paced and frenetic encounter as both battled to get into the game.
Forest broke the deadlock at the end of a tense first half as James Garner curled in a cross toward midfielder Ryan Yates which Colwill turned into his own net.
Huddersfield pushed for an equaliser and were denied a penalty area on 73 minutes when defender Harry Toffolo went down just inside in the Forest penalty under the outstretched leg of Jack Colback.
Forest, who were playing at Wembley for the first time since its redevelopment in 2007, held on for a narrow victory and will now re-take their place in the Premier League for the first time since 1999.
The East Midlands side were at one time among the biggest clubs in England, winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 under British managerial legend Brian Clough, as well as lifting the English First Division title in 1978.
The promotion was a personal triumph for Cooper, who has revitalised Forest since replacing the sacked Chris Hughton in September.
Forest were bottom of the table after taking one point from their first seven games, but Cooper had the Midas touch as he erased the bitter taste of his defeat with Swansea in last year’s Championship playoff final against Brentford.
Cooper repaired the wounds of Forest’s worst start to a season for 108 years and ensured they remained focused after losing a shot at automatic promotion in their penultimate game of the season against top-two rivals Bournemouth. Fourth-placed Forest beat Sheffield
United on penalties in the playoff semi-final and held their nerve again to earn the ultimate prize against Huddersfield.
Having knocked Arsenal and Leicester out of this season’s FA Cup before losing narrowly to Liverpool, Forest’s sleeping giants have awoken from their slumber at last.
Forest’s golden period came under legendary boss Brian Clough, who led them to the English title in 1978 and won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.
