Swansea's Scott Sinclair is relishing the opportunity to prove he can be a success in the Premier League.
Swansea hero looking to prove himself in top flight
Swansea's Wembley hero Scott Sinclair is relishing the opportunity to prove he can be a success in the Premier League.
The winger netted a memorable hat-trick to help the South Wales side beat Reading 4-2 and return to the top flight for the first time since 1983.
The 22-year-old former Chelsea player was never given a real opportunity by the Blues in his five years at the club.
Instead he had to settle for a series of disjointed loan spells at half a dozen different sides and he is now relishing the opportunity of playing week in, week out in the top flight.
Sinclair said: "It's fantastic, it's good to get a hat-trick but the main thing is that we won. All I was worried about was winning the game and we did that.
"It couldn't work out any better for the team and obviously myself and I'll be enjoying the Premier League with Swansea next season
"I've come here to get football week in, week out and I've done that. It's given me confidence to go and prove myself and now I have to go and do it at the next level.
"This is my chance to be playing week in, week out in the Premier League now. I've never had the chance to do that, I've only had 10 minutes here and there but now I can try and show everyone what I've got in the Premier League."
Bridge return
And on a return to Stamford Bridge, he added: "It will be great. It will be great to see some of my friends back there. When we do play them, when you're on that pitch, it will be amazing."
Sinclair's first-half brace - the first of which from the penalty spot - was added to by Stephen Dobbie to hand the Swans a commanding 3-0 advantage at the break.
Joe Allen's headed own goal, under pressure from Noel Hunt, and Matthew Mills put Reading back in contention before Sinclair extinguished any further hopes of a fightback with his second penalty 10 minutes from time.
"I don't think I've scored a more important goal than the last one," he added. "To score at Wembley in the play-off final to make sure you go to the Premier League...
"I can see it means everything to the club - the world. The supporters come every single week, they travel sometimes four or five hours. All the support for what they've done, we've repaid them."
Fairytale story
The victory completes a fairytale story for Swansea who, having also struggled on the verge of bankruptcy, only avoided relegation from the Football League on the final day of the 2002/03 season.
Promotions then followed in 2005, 2008 and now 2011, and Swans skipper Garry Monk has all but seen the lot having arrived in 2004.
Defender Alan Tate and midfielder Leon Britton also celebrated the journey yesterday, having been part of the City side who clinched dramatic survival eight years ago.
Speaking after the Wembley triumph, Monk said: "From League Two all the way through, I said to Tatey and Brits there's not many people who can say they've done that.
"Touch wood that we get a chance in the Premier League as well.
"Just to be a part of the club, to know what it means to the club. It's just amazing, an amazing feeling."
