Brighton & Hove Albion secures promotion to Premier League
Brighton and Hove Albion will make its Premier League debut next season after Huddersfield Town's 1-1 draw with Derby County on Monday secured promotion for the Seagulls.
Congratulations @OfficialBHAFC!
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 17, 2017
Promoted Brighton & Hove Albion will become the 48th team to play in the #PL in the 2017/18 season pic.twitter.com/J9zZaDAht7
Next season will also be the first that Brighton competes in the first flight in 34 years when the club featured in Division One during the 1982-83 campaign.
Earlier in the day, the East Sussex outfit secured a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic to set up a scenario that required Huddersfield to drop points in order for Brighton to win promotion.
With two minutes of the 90 remaining, Derby scored an equaliser against Huddersfield to help Brighton secure one of the two automatic promotion spots in the Championship table.
Brighton has been forced to compete in the Championship play-offs in three of the last four years. The club narrowly missed out on progressing to the Premier League last season after finishing third due to Middlesbrough's superior goal differential and losing to Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 over two legs.
Newcastle United will look to become the second Championship club to win automatic promotion, as Rafa Benitez's men enjoy a six-point edge over third place Reading with three matches remaining.