Horsfield the hero as Ipswich fall flat

Those two goals would have been enough to carry them through but Ipswich substitute Jamie Scowcroft hit back almost immediately and sent the tie into extra-time.

In those strength-sapping moments, Horsfield, who had earlier hit the woodwork, gathered himself for another attacking sortie and, in the 103rd minute, raced on to a through ball by former Ipswich midfielder Danny Sonner to slot in the goal that broke the resistance of Burley's men.

Although substitute Andy Johnson made certain of Birmingham's triumph with a fourth in the 117th minute, Horsfield had done the real damage.

On a heavily-sanded pitch which was not to the liking of Ipswich, the home side produced a wholehearted performance, with Horsfield and his co-striker Dele Adebola constantly testing the resilience of the visiting defence.

Persistent pressure eventually broke the concentration of Wright, who was responsible for a terrible mix-up with defender Gary Croft that led to Birmingham's opening goal. A harmless-looking cross by Adebola bounced over their heads and presented Grainger with the simple task of heading home.

Coming just before half-time, this gave Birmingham a tremendous lift which Horsfield soon consolidated. After being put through by Adebola, his first shot was brilliantly blocked by Wright but the striker swiftly regained his composure to put the rebound into the back of the net.

Birmingham's celebrations were shortlived, though, as Scowcroft, a half-time substitute for Richard Naylor, scored with a close range shot to make it 2-2 on aggregate.

When Birmingham entered extra-time, they knew they had to score or Ipswich would go through on the away goal. But the Blues finished much the stronger and, roared on by a capacity crowd, claimed their third Premiership scalp in the competition, having previously knocked out Tottenham and Newcastle.

It was a major milestone for manager Trevor Francis, who was determined to deliver the success that has eluded Birmingham since he was their star player in the early Seventies.

Francis said: 'I am a supporter of this club and it is a big moment for me. Make no mistake, my players have produced an awesome performance against a club who are fifth in the Premiership - and they fully deserved this victory.

'There were moments both in the final minutes of normal time, when Horsfield hit the bar, and in extra-time when I thought luck would go against us but it worked out in the end.'

Of Horsfield, he added: 'I thought he was the best player on the field. He kept us going and his goals came at crucial times. ' But Francis revealed his players always felt they would succeed.

'Before the game they were incredibly relaxed, ' he added. 'They believed they were going to win. They're absolutely delighted and so they should be. I don't think they have stopped to realise who they will be meeting in the final. We are there and that's what matters.

'We simply got on with our jobs and I cannot speak highly enough of my players. We have been in promotion play-off semi-finals and come away disappointed. On this occasion we did the business.'

Burley said: 'My players have been tremendous but they are now beginning to look a little jaded. But it's the Premiership that counts. Trevor Francis has apologised for the state of the pitch but we cannot blame that.'