Monday 17 April 2017 20:52, UK
Brighton boss Chris Hughton has hailed the "wonderful achievement" of promotion after the Seagulls secured their Premier League status with a 2-1 win over Wigan on Easter Monday.
The Seagulls needed to better Huddersfield's result to ensure a top-two finish in the Sky Bet Championship, and the Terriers' 1-1 draw in the late game made their lead unassailable.
Hughton said: "It's a wonderful achievement and there's so many people that I'm absolutely delighted for, certainly the chairman [Tony Bloom]. He's a local man and has invested an incredible amount of money in this football club.
"I knew we had a group of lads that were capable of doing it, but being capable of doing it and actually doing it are two different things. They've been good all season. They've bounced back and shown good determination and desire to win as many games as possible.
"Right at this moment, this is the most exciting one [achievement]. I went up with Newcastle as a team that just came down, and although we'd lost players, I had a very strong team.
"This is a club that haven't been in the Premier League. This was a club that had been in the play-offs two years running before I got here, so it wasn't a club that was used to being at the bottom end of the division."
While Brighton midfielder Steve Sidwell added to Sky Sports: "It's absolutely brilliant. I am delighted for all the players here, a lot of them haven't played in the Premier League and the desire and hunger that has got them there has been brilliant from top to bottom.
"When you are growing up and watching the Premier League, you are watching superstars week in and week out - to get on there and play against them on the same pitch is testament to the lads.
"Where the club has come from, the Goldstone, Withdean and now here, it's brilliant and long may the celebrations continue."
