Neil Shipperley bundled home the most important goal of his career to send Crystal Palace back into the Barclaycard Premiership after a six-year absence and clinch an estimated £25million prize at the expense of heartbroken West Ham in the play-off final.

The Eagles captain got enough of a touch on a 62nd-minute shot from First Division top scorer Andy Johnson which Hammers goalkeeper Stephen Bywater could only push invitingly into his path.

Shipperley has played for five other clubs in a distinguished career, but he is in his second spell with Palace and it is there where he will now be best remembered after putting the finishing touch on a remarkable campaign under manager Iain Dowie.

The Eagles were battling against relegation when Dowie took over as manager back in December, but the former Oldham boss brought them back from the brink to clinch a play-off place in the dying seconds of the season.

Palace reached the Millennium Stadium by beating Sunderland on penalties in a gruelling semi-final despite being reduced to 10 men following Julian Gray's dismissal in normal time, and they showed the same spirit against the Hammers, whose immediate future now looks bleak.

The Hammers are an estimated £33million in debt and the likes of Michael Carrick, Christian Dailly and Tomas Repka may all now have to follow those sacrificed after last season's relegation from the top flight.

This was new territory for the Hammers, who were making their first foray into the play-offs, while Palace had tasted defeat and victory in the Division One final two years in succession in the late 90s.

The Eagles almost missed their chance this time around after losing at Coventry on the final day of the regular season, and ironically it was Brian Deane's last-minute equaliser for West Ham at Wigan which ultimately clinched them a top-six finish.

The final was given extra spice by virtue of the all-London rivalry between the two sides, and a foul by Dailly on Aki Riihilahti gave Palace an early free-kick in a dangerous area from which Danny Butterfield shot marginally wide.

Johnson put a free header from a teasing Wayne Routledge centre over the crossbar when team-mate Shipperley was better placed to capitalise on some slack Hammers marking.

And Palace full-back Danny Granville should have done better when Bywater fumbled a Shaun Derry corner into his path, fluffing his lines poorly in front of goal with West Ham's keeper stranded.

But a moment of magic from Carrick should have provided the breakthrough for Hammers striker Bobby Zamora in the 20th minute. Carrick's chipped through-ball was inch-perfect, but Zamora choked in front of goal, firing his shot against the keeper's legs.

West Ham defender Repka cleared a Michael Hughes shot which sneaked past Bywater off his own goalline before Zamora had a penalty appeal turned down for a tug by Mikele Leigertwood right on the edge of the Palace area.

Eagles keeper Vaesen was at full stretch to deny Steve Lomas when the Northern Ireland midfielder let fly from 25 yards after a good spell of pressure from West Ham.

But Palace finally broke the deadlock when Bywater could only push Johnson's shot from the edge of the box into the path of Shipperley, who bundled it over the line from close range in the 62nd minute.

David Connolly and Zamora both had the ball in the net at the other end shortly afterwards only to be denied by a linesman's flag, and Carrick tested Vaesen handling from distance.

Hammers boss Alan Pardew abandoned the club's principles by throwing on lanky strikers Brian Deane and Don Hutchison in a desperate bid to snatch an equaliser, and they should have had a penalty with seven minutes remaining.

Leigertwood was guilty of a clumsy foul on Carrick inside the area and right in front of referee Graham Poll, but the Hertfordshire official waved away West Ham's appeals and Palace held on.

Teams

Crystal Palace (0) 1 West Ham (0) 0

Crystal Palace: Vaesen, Butterfield (Powell 69), Popovic, Leigertwood, Granville, Routledge, Riihilahti, Derry, Hughes, Shipperley, Johnson.

Subs Not Used: Freedman, Berthelin, Black, Watson.

Booked: Derry, Hughes, Routledge.

Goals: Shipperley 62.

West Ham: Bywater, Repka, Dailly, Melville, Mullins, Harewood (Reo-Coker 68), Carrick, Lomas, Etherington, Zamora (Deane 68), Connolly (Hutchison 74).

Subs Not Used: Srnicek, Brevett.

Booked: Repka, Reo-Coker, Mullins, Etherington.

Att: 72,523

Ref: G Poll (Hertfordshire).