LONDON: West Ham clinched promotion to the Premier League as Ricardo Vaz Te's late winner sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Blackpool in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday.

Sam Allardyce's side survived a nervous start to take the lead through Carlton Cole's first half strike, but Tom Ince equalised soon after the break and Blackpool had several good chances to go ahead.

Portuguese forward Vaz Te made the Seasiders pay for their profligacy when he struck from close-range in the 87th minute to ensure the Hammers returned to the top-flight just 12 months after relegation.

Vaz Te's winner was crucial for a club who had invested heavily in winning promotion and the east London outfit's place in the Premier League will rake in between 45 million pounds and 90 million pounds in increased revenue according to varying reports.

Defeat was cruel on Blackpool, who almost made the perfect start when poor defending from Matt Taylor allowed Stephen Dobbie to squeeze past him and drive in a low strike that Robert Green pushed onto his near post.