Fulham tonight won promotion to the Premiership following their 2-1 win at Huddersfield.

The First Division leaders, whose rise from the lower reaches of the Nationwide League has been financed by billionare Mohamed al-Fayed, will take their place in the top flight next season for the first time since 1968.

Top scorer Louis Saha hit his 29th goal of the season from the penalty spot at the McAlpine Stadium only for Delroy Facey to give struggling Huddersfield a lifeline with the equaliser.

But Luis Boa Morte struck the winner with five minutes remaining to crown a wonderful first season in charge for manager Jean Tigana.

After seven minutes Boa Morte, who had earlier been unlucky not to get on the end of a Saha flick-on, got clear in the box, but blazed well wide from 12 yards out.

Then five minutes later, a clever through-ball by Stolcers saw Clark get in behind the defence, but again his left-foot shot from 12 yards out was high over the bar.

The visitors came closest to breaking the deadlock as half-time approached.

Clark hit a low drive from 30 yards which was safely gathered by home keeper Vaesen and then Boa Morte's pace again took him into the box but his shot was blocked for a corner.

There was a nasty looking incident on 23 minutes when Chris Lucketti and Louis Saha both went down heavily after an accidental collision just outside the Huddersfield box.

But fortunately, after lengthy treatment both the Huddersfield captain and Fulham's 28-goal leading scorer were able to continue.

Three minutes later Saha showed he was suffering from no ill effects as he met Goldbaek's corner with a firm header which grazed the bar from 12 yards out.

The corner had been won by Boa Morte, who showed blistering pace to race into the box before being denied by a last-ditch tackle from Dyson.

Fulham did not have the game all their own way and Huddersfield's pressure led to a corner on 28 minutes, which visiting keeper Taylor tapped from under the bar from an Armstrong in-swinger.

The same two players were prominent after half an hour - Armstrong found space 25 yards out and his fierce left-foot drive was tipped at full stretch round the post by Taylor.

HT: Huddersfield 0 Fulham 0

Teams

Huddersfield: Vaesen, Heary, Lucketti, Dyson, Jenkins, Thornley (Gallen 68), Armstrong, Holland, Gorre, Facey, Baldry.

Subs Not Used: Margetson, Moses, Brennan, Irons.

Booked: Dyson, Lucketti, Gallen.

Goals: Facey 78.

Fulham: Taylor, Finnan, Melville, Symons, Brevett, Sahnoun (Davis 80), Clark, Stolcers, Goldbaek (Riedle 71), Saha (Moller 89), Boa Morte.

Subs Not Used: Hahnemann, Neilson.

Goals: Saha 66 pen, Boa Morte 85.

Att: 15,882

Ref: K Hill (Royston).