Derby County – West Bromwich Albion

The team news is in for the biggest game in English football; The Champiobship Play-off final...

Lining up for Derby: Bywater, Mears, Leacock, Moore, McEveley, Fagan, Oakley, Seth Johnson, Pearson, Howard, Peschisolido. And the subs: Camp, Edworthy, Jones, Macken, Barnes.

And for West Brom: Kiely, McShane, Perry, Sodje, Robinson, Koumas, Greening, Gera, Koren, Kamara, Phillips. Subs: Daniels, Clement, Ellington, Chaplow, Carter.

For these two founder members of the Football League today's game is worth in the region of £60m; thanks to the money on offer from the Premier League's television and marketing coffers the lucky winner will net £35m and then there's £12.5m for two years in parachute payments in the event of relegation. Not too shabby!

Hertfordshire's Graham Poll is our referee for the day and he blows his whistle and the Play-off final is underway

Diomansy Kamara with a great run in the opening minute brings a save from Stephen Bywater.

What a start - Kamara showing great strength, pace and balance, not to mention a strong shot from the Baggies striker

Derby under the cosh as West Brom set up camp in the Rams' half with a few range-finding shots flying in

Great atmosphere in the opening few moments of the game - not hurt of course by the Baggies early pressure

Derby central defender Darren 'Big Man' Moores is very lucky to have escpaed without conceding a corner; he shielded the ball from the pressure of Kamara but he actually clipped the ball out, much to Kamara's annoyance. Luckily for Moore the linesman seems to be blind.

Derby get the ball down and start running at the Baggies' backline; Stephen Pearson probing down the left.

The conventional wisdom sees a West Brom win, with the theory going that the Baggies have a stronger squad and man-for-man Derby being less skilled and less fancied

If Derby are to get a shock win much will rest on Bywater in goal and Steve Howard up front to bag the goals

Much has been made of the Wembley pitch; it cut up badly in the FA Cup Final and has been played on twice in the last two days with the League One and Two play-off finals, not to mention heavy rain. But today, so far so good

This is expected to Graham Poll's last game as a ref in England before retirement; just one international game remains for Poll then it's afternoons in the potting shed.

Paul Peschisolido has a shot saved by Dean Kiely - only a half chance, but warnings for West Brom that Derby are here to play

Zoltan Gera's attempted cross is deflected and Tyrone Mears reads it and tidies up at the back

Derby getting to grips with the game after a full-on start from West Brom

West Brom have a very, very close call on a penalty go thier way. Mears timed his tackle on a rampaging Jason Koumas to perfection - but I can only tell you that after several replays on TV. Poll got the descision totally correct - not that the Baggies were impressed

Jonathan Greening lucky not to get booked for a reckless tackle on Craig Fagan

Derby look to build on posession in the middle of the pitch and apply some pressure to West Brom - not something they done so far.

Peschisolido, who has only made 5 starts all season, looks a little rusty in attack for Derby - not linking too well with Howard, at least not yet.

Corner for Derby, skipper Matt Oakley to take...

The set-play is header clear easily and Derby are immediately on the back foot from a promising position

Fagan with a great run and shot for Derby. He drifted in from the wing before snatching his shot

Dean Leacock doing the defencsive duties at the back under pressure from Gera

Bywater turns a deflected freekick over his bar

The corner leads to another freekick, this time Gera takes and after another deflection Kevin Phillips is left blushing after the ball hits him unaware on the head and out for goal kick.

Pearson again posing questions down the left for Derby

Gera with some neat tricks on the right wing; he tries to find Greening and does but only after Seth Johnson first wins then loses the ball

Great ball from Greening finds Kamara and but for James McEveley West Brom could have been ahead

Leacock this time blocks Kamara after a great pass inside from Koumas

Derby are not exactly a poor side but so far West Brom are clearly on top and look so much stronger

Derby try to break but they are too deep and Chris Perry is happy to snuff out the danger before it really starts

A hopefull hoofed ball looking for Howard is ruled offside - not the most thoughtful approach from Derby

A spell of Derby possession comes to nothing after a silly ball launched from Moore is tidied up easily

A booking for Peschisolido after a typical striker's tackle

Sam Sodje plants his foot straight into Howard's hip as the two climb for high ball. Howard should really go to casualty the tackle looked that bad, but freekick will have to do

Johnson drives the freekick on straight at the wall and Derby have a corner

The Rams try and take it short but Kamara is on hand to help out at the back and Derby are hustled off the ball

Derby with some classy build-up work, nice give and go, touch and move play. The move ened with an Oakley effort which bobbled wide

Brave defending from West Brom snuffs out some decent Derby work

Come on Derby! Every time the get the ball in decent areas they just seem to get caught - that will anger Billy Davies

For Tony Mowbraw he'll be quite happy so far with West Brom's start to the game, they've had the better chances and more possession; his only quibble will be that they have not opened the scoring

Pearson with some good defending for his side to deny Robert Koren

West Brom's Strawberry blone Paul McShane gets a booking for a dangerous tackle

Koumas turns Fagan inside out before unleashing a drive on goal, I say on goal, it was actually high and wide

Vital touch from Bywater to alter the flight of the ball after another great ball from Koumas

West Brom press as we head to the halftime break

Kevin Phillips hits the bar with what must be one of first touches of the game!

He picked the ball up in an unmarked position in the edge of the peanlty are before firing on goal, great strike just a fraction too high

I'm looking forward to a cup of tea and biscuit in the break

Gera wastes possession trying to slip a ball inside his marker but to no avail

Good defending from Derby to close the door on another attempted West Brom sortie

One minute of added time signalled

Oakley takes a whack on the foot in a 50-50 challenge with Greening - the break will suit the Derby skipper as he limps on

Halftime!

With both sides feeling the tension and with so much at stake it is little surprise that it's not been a classic. However, West Brom should have made more of thier chances, by not doing so they have let Derby back into the game.

Personally I'm hopeful that there will be an end to this £60m game within the standard 90mins. If you want to cross your fingers for me, feel free. Join us for the second half.

We're back underway at Wembley

PFA Championship player of the year Jason Koumas was the player of the first half - who will shine in the next 45?

Three chances in 45 seconds - Gera witha shot for the Baggies; Bywater coming of his line to denby Phillips and an awesome tackle from Leacock to stem West Brom's attack

Kamara's tries his luck from range with a freekick - but it was too far out to for him to really be able to control the ball; goalkick

Scrappy play as heads get in the way of hopeful balls from deep

Until Derby win a corner in front of their own fans

Moore ruled to have fouled as he clambers all over McShane

Is it unfair to say that on today's performance neither of these sides deserve to get promoted?

Koren with some decent defending to close the door on Pearson as he tried to break down the left

The not 100% fit Giles Barnes is warming up on the sidelines - Derby need his invention

Oakley drags his shot wide of the post after a promising move

Moore fells Phillips - he's dazed and confused, but then you would be if that mountain of a man had run into you!

West Brom fans singing to a man - their in fine voice as they cheer their side on

Koumas claims a foul after a few agricultural tackles - but being critical his choice of route drew the tackles, a more direct route would have made more sense

Sodje with a theatrical dive after a 50-50 challenge from Pearson

Howard is again totally isolated as Derby come under sustained pressure

Koumas tries his luck with a shot from range but it bends wide of goal

This could be the moment the game changes; bye-bye Paul Peschisolido, hello Derby's Giles Barnes - a quick, talented ball playing attacker

Barnes is straight away involved opening the way for Fagan to feed a pass to Oakley who is denied a great goal by a great save from Dean Kiely

Koumas has been on top in the game so far, but with Barnes now on the pitch both sides have playmakers and one is fresher

An hour gone and still West Brom press - but again they are unable to finish

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!! For Derby!!

Despite pressure from McShane Pearson slotted home after Barnes pulled a ball back sqaure along the byline after being set free by Howard. A very well worked goal.

Stung into action West Brom again put Bywater under perssure - Kamara this time failing to get his foot on the ball in the danger area in front of the keeper

Here's when West Brom fans find out what they're side is made of. They've shaded the match but are losing; can they claw their way back?

The atmosphere has been cranked up a notch and tempers a fraying

Referee Poll books Perry for a scything tackle on Barnes - some afters followed but the ref had it under control

All of a sudden there is less then 25 mins to go and West Brom are fightin for their lives

Gera fires a stinking shot in on Bywater's goal - the keeper spilled the shot at first but gathered at the second time of asking

Sodje is a lucky boy not to be sent off - he took out Barnes at full speed and having already been booked the defender is very fortunate to be on the pitch

Greening wins a corner - but he should have pulled the ball back to three unmarked strikers rather than seek glory for himself

A number of missed Derby clearances go unpunished by West Brom - poor

Two changes fro West Brom; the fresh legs are Nathan Ellington and livewire winger Darren Carter with Koren and McShane the sacrificed pair

It's all West Brom pressure as they press Derby down both wings with Carter, Greening and Koumas in the thick of things

Kamara and Phillips somehow miss the gaping goal - they were offside, but more signs of profligacy

Oakley gives the ball away cheaply in the centre of the pitch and he's lucky that West Brom don't punish his mistake

15 minutes to go and Derby launch the ball deep into Baggies territory from a Bywater clearance - some respite for the Derby defence will be gladly recieved

A huge tackle from Johnson denies West Brom and Derby break

Barnes takes the ball to the byline but can't pull it back to Howard - the game is really stretched now as West Brom counter

Leacock puts the ball out for a West Brom corner - Phillips judged to have handballed

Signs a moment ago that as West Brom press for a winner they are exposed at the back and with the pace of Barnes they run the risk of conceding a second - but they need to gamble and to get themselves back into the game

Mowbray makes a final change - off comes Sodje, on comes Neil Clement

Derby have a throw deep in West Brom territory - but West Brom leave three strikers up the other end of the pitch

Referee Poll jogs off the pitch with Fagan to ensure the subbed player can't waste too much time - the new Derby player Marc Edworthy

Another throw for Derby in an advanced position - ideal for them; they must hold the ball and stifle West Brom

Barnes is his own worst enemy as he allows Greening to tackle him in the penalty area - but the forward should have pulled the trigger and controled the ball sooner

Amazing tackle by Mears to deny West Brom a shooting chance - The Baggies cry 'penalty', not so says Poll

Perry, holding his tooth in his hand, points at the gap in his smile and asks the ref why he's not booking Howard - he didn't see the incident is the answer to the question

Johnson is subbed to great applause as David Jones, once of Man Utd, comes on for Derby. Boos from West Brom as they claim time wasting.

Three minutes to go: Derby fans are cheering, West Brom supporters have their head in their hands. Is it all over?

Cater with some neat footwork carves a half chance at the back, but Kamara loses his footing and Derby break

Tired legs from both sides as Carter is blocked by Pearson - corner

Koumas lumps his ball into the box and Greening heads over. Is that it? The last chance?

Bywater thumps the ball deep and West Brom feed it back towards the Derby keeper

Four minutes of added time are signalled as the tension mounts - the crowd know it's nearly all over, but West Brom must press, there is still time to force extra-time

A booking for Jones for some time wasting to deny Koumas a quick freekick

The freekick for West Brom runs tantilisingly across the face of goal but no-one was there to apply the final touch

Kiely has the ball for a second before pumping a long-ball forward

A spell of pushing and shoving after an Oakley foul - which he got booked for. Is he hobbling in pain or jest?

Clement wins a corner after his freekick is deflected out. This is the last chance saloon...

The ball comes into the box but no-one can connect and the final whistle is blown!

The West Brom players are down on their haunches, they played the better game and had the better chances but ahve lost and must begin their assault on the Championship again next season.

For Derby the glory and the joy is all theirs. It is a horrible way to lose, but an amazing way to win promotion. The promised land of the Premiership lays ahead for Derby. Congratulations to them.