• Norwich made a fast start and held on to win the play-off final and earn their place in the Premier League
• Cameron Jerome opened the scoring, taking advantage of a defensive slip to fire home at the near post
• Nathan Remond then finished off a flowing passing move to double the Canaries’ advantage
• Norwich boss Alex Neil celebrated victory having only taken over at the club in January

By

Matt Barlow for MailOnline

Published:
15:55 GMT, 25 May 2015

|
Updated:
20:42 GMT, 25 May 2015

Promotion and the £120million jackpot belongs to Norwich and for their manager Alex Neil after a season which started in front of a crowd of 730 ends with a glorious Wembley celebration.

Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond struck early, with two goals inside three first-half minutes to stun Middlesbrough who never fully recovered, and secure a return to the Barclays Premier League a year after relegation.

It closes a 12-month crop circle for the Norfolk club and it completes an incredible personal journey for Neil, their young manager who hails from Bellshill, the same North Lanarkshire town as Sir Matt Busby.

Russell Martin lifts the play-off trophy as the spraying of champagne signals the start of what promises to be a long party

Nathan Redmond takes centre stage after scoring the second goal to give Norwich what proved to be an unassailable lead

Norwich lift the Championship play-off trophy after beating Middlesbrough to return to the Premier League

Elliot Bennett (left) and Alexander Tettey celebrate after the final whistle as Norwich’s promotion to the Premier League is confirmed

Redmond roars with delight as he holds the play-off trophy and takes a walk around the Wembley pitch

Goalscorer Redmond poses with the play-off trophy after helping Norwich return to the Premier League

Norwich boss Alex Neil is carried round the Wembley pitch on the shoulders of his joyous players

Jerome holds the trophy aloft having opened the scoring for the Canaries after just 12 minutes at Wembley

Delia Smith can look forward to her side cooking up a storm in the top flight once again after winning promotion

Majority shareholder Delia Smith celebrates in front of the Norwich fans after seeing her club return to the Premier League at the first attempt

Jonny Howson comforts Middlesbrough’s on loan Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford as his side miss out on promotion

Middlesbrough’s Lee Tomlin could not hold back the tears after his side’s defeat while striker Patrick Bamford was also emotional

Norwich fans get the party started as Wembley as they celebrate returning to the top flight after just a season in the second tier

Elliott Bennett, Lewis Grabban and Bradley Johnson collapse to the Wembley turf in celebration after the final whistle

Actor Stephen Fry enjoyed his day out at Wembley as the Norwich fan celebated his side’s success

Fry celebrates with Norwich’s majority shareholder Delia Smith as they look forward to a return to the big time

Cameron Jerome slots home the opening goal at Wembley to put Norwich in front against Middlesbrough

Jerome celebrates after firing Norwich one step closer to the Premier League as they took on Middlesbrough at Wembley

Nathan Redmond completed a flowing passing move to double Norwich’s advantage and leave Boro shell-shocked 

Redmond’s shot across goal left Dimitrios Konstantopoulos with no chance as the ball nestled in the far corner 

Redmond celebrates the strike that took the Canaries within touching distance of the Premier League 

A year ago to the day, the 33-year-old Scot was leading Hamilton Academical into Scotland’s top-flight with victory in the play-offs against Hibernian.

His first game of this season was in front of a crowd of under a thousand in the Scottish League Cup first round against Arbroath but by the time he left in January, Hamilton were second in the Scottish Premiership.

Norwich were seventh in the Championship, but Neil quickly made them upwardly mobile, finishing third and negotiating a two-legged victory against East Anglian rivals Ipswich which ensured the club’s first trip to Wembley for 30 years.

Promotion was completed against Middlesbrough, who have never won at Wembley.

Aitor Karanka’s team turned up late after their bus was stuck in traffic and started too slowly in a breathless opening passage of play, when the woodwork was soon shaking at either end by thunderous volleys.

There were nine minutes gone when Steven Whittaker’s cross from the right was missed by Jerome and poorly cleared by Dean Whitehead.

It dropped on the edge of the penalty box to Bradley Johnson, who controlled a splendid left-foot volley which flashed past Dimitios Konstantopoulos and crashed into the bar.

In the blink of an eye, Norwich centre-half Sebastien Bassong was almost punished for attempting a clearance with a casual back-heel.

Jelle Vossen took the bouncing ball on his chest and volleyed it sweetly with his right foot. John Ruddy was beaten and relieved when the effort hit the bar and bounced clear.

It was as close as Boro would come, and Norwich were soon ahead, when Jerome hustled and dispossessed Daniel Ayala off the ball, turned, carried it towards goal and rolled a simple goal past Konstantopoulos at his near post. 

Norwich celebrated Jerome’s 21th goal of the season and Boro reflected on a sequence of defensive errors which let him in.

Ayala was not strong enough under the robust but fair challenge from Jerome and then failed to pursue him, preferring to appeal for a foul. Ben Gibson was unable to apply cover on his defensive partner and the goalkeeper was beaten far too easily.

Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy celebrates after Redmond found the opposite net at Wembley

Jelle Vossen had earlier hit the bar for Middlesbrough with a fine strike from outside the area with the score level

Middlesbrough’s Spanish defender Daniel Ayala heads the ball against a Norwich City defender as they pushed for a way back

Alex Neil started the season in charge of Hamilton but ended it at Wembley, celebrating Norwich’s promotion to the Premier League

Perhaps they were still shaken by the self-destruction when Norwich struck again, three minutes later.

This time, Redmond was left in space as he moved unobstructed onto a pass from Whittaker, accelerated into the penalty area and cut a low drive past Konstantopoulos.

It was a classy and clinical piece of finishing from Redmond, an exciting talent who has not performed consistently in the Championship but has been influential in the play-offs.

He scored in the second leg of the semi-final against Ipswich and this goal game Norwich some degree of comfort against a team that had beaten them home and away in the regular season.

Boro were stunned and their response was slow, but by half-time they were into some sort of rhythm.

Vossen glanced a header wide but Patrick Bamford, the 19-goal top scorer and the Championship’s Player of the Year, was subdued. Nearly an hour had passed before he worked Ruddy, with a shot on the spin.

Bamford is without a goal for more than a month and has carried an ankle problem through the final weeks of the season. He was doubtful for Wembley but Karanka needed his threat.

Middlesbrough improved after the break with Albert Adomah warming to the task on the right and jinking past full-back Martin Olsson.

Ayala headed over from a corner and Vossen was booked for diving as he tried to win a penalty but Karanka’s team were increasing the pressure.

Norwich were briefly unsettled but they resisted well, and eventually made it over the line quite comfortably. Premier League, let’s be having you, as Delia might say.

Russell Martin heads the ball goalwards but Norwich had to settle for the two goals that took them into the top flight

Patrick Bamford, on loan at Middlesbrough from Chelsea, had an off day having struggled for fitness in the build-up

Middlesbrough fans look dejected as their day turns flat after Norwich added a second goal in the opening stages

Alex Neil celebrates as he looks forward to the Premier League having only taken over at Norwich in January

Norwich fans were in full voice at Wembley as they cheered their side to victory in the play-off final

Bursts of flames greet the players as they made their way on to the Wembley pitch for the start of the play-off final

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