Welcome back to the land of milk and honey, Forest. In the directors' box upstairs, Old Big 'Ead will be nodding his approval.
But Steve Cooper's braves had better be ready for the wretched nonsense of VAR, the pile of junk which belongs in a landfill site, to ruin countless weekends in the Premier League. At the richest game in football, where the atmosphere was better than the officials' judgement, it was Forest's friend this time.
Not to put too fine a point on it: they got away with one. And they absconded into the twilight with £180million of loot. Forest deserve to go up because they were so far off the pace last September they were in danger of being lapped. Their recovery under Cooper's tutelage has been breathtaking. Promotion is earned over 49 games, not just a nervy joust at Wembley. The City Ground will be a grand day out next season, absolutely rocking.
But what is the point of VAR if it is not to ensure that justice is done? On the day, Huddersfield were fleeced by one, if not two, penalty decisions and the better team probably lost. Referee Jon Moss, in his last game before retirement at 51, made two critical mistakes – and his mate Paul Tierney, the VAR sitting in a bunker, did nothing to correct them.
Ultimately, Forest scrambled through the skylight thanks to an own goal and incompetent application of VAR. If Forest's last campaign in the top flight, in 1999, was a bad dream, multiple false dawns over the Trent have finally given way to unbridled optimism. All of a sudden, Mull of Kintyre – the adopted anthem of Robin Hood country – is a call to arms instead of a requiem to a golden age.
Far have they travelled and much have they seen in the last 23 years, but seldom has there been a more welcome return to the top flight roster. Cooper, a beaten finalist with Swansea 12 months ago, has found the balance between patience and verve. This time, it must be said, he also got lucky.
For 43 minutes, Forest's only sighting of the promised land was Ryan Yates' glancing header just wide, and Huddersfield – whose previous three play-off finals at Wembley had all finished goalless – were on course for another stalemate. Then on-loan Manchester United midfielder James Garner whipped a cross-shot towards the far post and Levi Colwill, under pressure from Yates, could only spoon it high past his own keeper Lee Nicholls.
Don't blame Colwill – that ricochet off his knee could have gone anywhere. Unfortunately for the Terriers, who had started to look threatening on the counter, it flew into the top corner. But Huddersfield finished third in the Championship for a reason: They are a decent side – compact, busy and resilient. Skipper Jonathan Hogg should have done better with a near-post header, and then controversy took over.
Harry Toffolo burst into the box, appeared to be clipped by Jack Colback and Moss, to widespread outrage in West Yorkshire, administered a yellow card for diving to the Huddersfield wing-back. For the first time, VAR was in use for the play-off final – and with £180million at stake, you would have thought it was worthwhile insurance against unjust clangers. Incredibly Tierney, the official in a bunker at Stockley Park, saw no reason to intervene – more compelling evidence that technology is useless unless competent officials are hired to use it.
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TV cameras captured Colback crossing himself, as if to admit he had got away with a £180m mistake, and Forest – out on their feet in several cases – breathed again. As if to underline that Huddersfield's luck was out completely, Moss was also not interested when Forest sub Max Lowe's challenge on Lewis O'Brien was deemed permissible.
Enjoy the Premier League, Forest, because injustice and aggravation from interfering (or non-interfering) jobsworths are coming to ruin a football match near you soon. Cooper celebrated Forest's return to the penthouse, crowing: “We've reminded the world how special this club is.”
And skipper Joe Worrall heaped praise on his manager, saying: "We've been fantastic all season - we were really unlucky to not go up automatically. We've played with honesty and we play football the right way. Steve Cooper has treated us with kindness. If you treat a dog with kindness, they become good. If you treat them badly they become aggressive.”
After Forest took just one point from their first seven games, Cooper – the 21st permanent Forest manager since they were last in the Premier League - replaced Chris Hughton at the City Ground and took them on an astonishing run. He said: “It took a group of men to get off the canvas and fight back – and that's what we have done.
“People probably looked down their noses at us, to where we were, but they had to stand up for the club, get off their knees and fight. The joy, the smiling faces and the tears made it all worthwhile.”
Responding to Worrall's comment about kindness, the England Under-17 World Cup-winning coach said: “We live a privileged life but it can also be a harsh and spiteful one. The players know I have to be tough and demanding of them but they also know I am with them 100 per cent.”
