Sam Allardyce admits leading West Ham back to the Premier League with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Blackpool in the Championship play-off final at Wembley is the finest achievement of his career.
Allardyce has been under intense pressure to fulfill his pre-season promise that West Ham would make an immediate return to the top flight after last season's relegation and he finally delivered thanks to Ricardo Vaz Te's late winner on Saturday.
The Hammers' co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold had allowed Allardyce to invest heavily in new signings and, after missing out on automatic promotion to Reading and Southampton, failure to secure the final place in the Premier League could have cost the 57-year-old his job.
In the circumstances, victory over Ian Holloway's Blackpool was a massive relief for Allardyce, who must have taken extra delight that he will be back among the elite next season while Blackburn, who sacked him in 2010, will be languishing in the Championship.
Allardyce, who guided Bolton to promotion via the play-offs at the Millennium Stadium in 2001, said: "It's probably bettered that because it's West Ham United, with the size of the club and the pressure, and because it's at Wembley.
"It's the first time I have come here and won - not that I've been here very often.
"It's been an outstanding, thrilling season compared to where we came from.
"This is a memory for life and we will enjoy it. You want to go up automatically but if you don't and you win the final then it's a memory for everyone for years and years to come.
"The delight you get out of winning at a venue like this, the trophy, the medals, the celebrations, it's an outstanding achievement.
"It's bigger than anything else, other games played here are cup competitions but this is everything, it's about what's happened over 10 months, not six or seven games."
West Ham's first victory at Wembley since 1980 was in the balance right up to the final whistle as Blackpool, who were also hoping for a quick return to the Premier League after last season's relegation, dominated possession and created a host of good chances.
After Blackpool winger Matt Phillips wasted two golden opportunities, Carlton Cole put West Ham ahead in the 35th minute with a cool finish from Matt Taylor's superb pass.
But Allardyce was stunned shortly after the interval when Tom Ince showed he has inherited his father Paul's uncanny knack of irritating West Ham's fans when he equalised in the 48th minute.
The Blackpool winger, who was jeered by the Hammers supporters who never forgave Ince senior for the manner in which he left the club some 23 years ago, produced a fine finish from Phillips' cross.
Alex Baptiste squandered a fine chance to win it for Blackpool and Vaz Te made him pay in the 87th minute when he fired home from close-range to secure West Ham a promotion worth between £45 million and £90 million.
"What a signing," said Allardyce of Vaz Te, who arrived from Barnsley in January.
"The goals he has scored are probably why I'm sat here now and back in the Premier League. He deserves a lot of credit."
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway, who rubbished reports linking him with Aston Villa, claimed his side just didn't get the rub of the green at the key moments.
"The players certainly did me proud. Some things in life are harsh and it certainly feels that way at the moment," he said.
"They scored with their first chance and we had a couple better than that.
"It was on a knife edge, it's the spin of a coin and it's dropped their way so well done, good luck to them, we'll dust ourselves down and start again."
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