"Stuff dreams are made of” Emotional Darren Moore hails ‘incredible’ Hollywood ending to Sheffield Wednesday promotion campaign

It was the fitting way to end a season of cinematic highs and lows, of cheesy comebacks even Hollywood would reject. It’s been a season of promotion won, lost, lost again and won. From the soaring highs of Newcastle, 23 unbeaten and the Miracle of S6 to the snake-belly lows of London Road and Forest Green, it’s a script barely believable.

And when Josh Windass dived forward to connect with Lee Gregory’s centre and send the Wednesday end into raptures with the final touch of the game? A crescendo Roy of the Rovers would deem beyond realm.

“It was a special moment,” Moore said. “Just a delightful moment for everybody at the football club. It means so much to help this club back into the Championship.

“I’m really pleased but it’s important everybody shares in it. It has been a joint effort and it just goes to show when a club comes together, what can be achieved.

“It’s been a long journey but a journey worthwhile.”

Barnsley missed big chances and Tykes goalkeeper Harry Isted produced a number of classy saves to keep the scoreline at 0-0 for over 120 minutes.

It was an afternoon on which Windass was not at his brilliant best – but he stepped up in the vital flicker to send the club back to the second tier at the second time of asking.

“It was always going to be a tight game,” Moore continued. “But we spoke about being in these moments, staying together and doing the right things at the right time; being a Yorkshire derby the magnitude of the game, the arena.

“It was that moment that fell to us and credit to the boys for going all the way. Just before that we had a breakaway that didn’t quite go for us.

“For us to get the bodies into the box and for Josh to get on the end of it? It’s the stuff dreams are made of. It finished a really titanic game and we got the all-important touch to win the game.”

Moore, a picture of calm and resolve in press conferences no matter the result or circumstance this year, looked almost emotional at times.

For a side that were dead and buried leaving Cambridgeshire just over a couple of weeks ago, celebrations in front of 44,000 gleeful, sun-baked Wednesdayites were the perfect tonic.

“We spoke about today and the two-legged semi-final, about leaving the pitch spent,” Moore said. “The first leg was what it shouldn’t look like, the second was what it should look like.

“The energy and endeavour we showed was great. Barnsley were the same.

“The sending off changed the course of it. They sat in deep and it was up to us to break them down and get the all-important touch for a goal.

“It was a special moment for it to come with the last kick of the game. It’s incredible.”