Bristol City

Steve Phillips: Had very little to do with Brighton seldom threatening, but beaten by Knight's free-kick which hit the bar and the penalty.

Louis Carey: Lucky to escape with a warning for grabbing Nathan Jones by the neck, and maybe fortunate to escape with a stamp on Knight.

Tony Butler: No-nonsense display from the former West Brom man, he tackled strongly and was not afraid to put his foot through the ball.

Daniel Coles: Notable only for a crunching challenge which flattened Leon Knight early in the second half and the foul which gave away the penalty.

Matt Hill: Started to get more involved in the final third as the game progressed and worked hard down the left flank, but needed more help.

Tony Rougier: Saw plenty of the ball but lacked the pace to get past Danny Cullip and struggled to create any real openings.

Tommy Doherty: Cultured performance from the Robins' skipper, proved why he is so important with a series of important interceptions and forceful runs.

Brian Tinnion: Provided the City defence with a shield which made it hard for the Brighton midfielders to support their front players.

Craig Woodman: Out of the game for long spells, he failed to link with Matt Hill and Adam Virgo stopped most of their attacks.

Lee Miller: Subdued performance from the Scottish striker as a replacement for the injured Lee Peacock, and taken off on the hour mark.

Christian Roberts: Saw lots of the ball and kept on probing for an opening, but his end product was lacking and ran down too many blind alleys.

Substitutes

Scott Murray (replaced Lee Miller, 61 mins): Never got into the game as Brighton finished stronger.

Luke Wilkshire (replaced Brian Tinnion, 82 mins): Came on just as Brighton went ahead and could not change the game.

Marc Goodfellow (replaced Tony Butler, 88 mins): Thrown up front out of desperation by Danny Wilson but never got the ball.

Ben Roberts: Confident in his ability to come for crosses but struggled to hold a couple of them. Largely untroubled by City's shot-shy strikers.

Adam Virgo: Hard-working down the right and always looking to start an attack. Booked for a reckless lunge in the first half but a tireless display.

Danny Cullip: Effective display by the centre-back, he dealt with Roberts and Miller confidently and got his body in the way for crucial blocks.

Guy Butters: Made his intentions clear early on with a crunching tackle on Christian Roberts and never let the two strikers settle. Made some important blocks.

Daniel Harding: Did his job professionally and part of a solid back four that snuffed out any goal threat from Bristol City.

Gary Hart: Quiet performance from the midfielder who had to contend with the attacking threat of Hill. Could have been a bigger danger going forward.

Charlie Oatway: Gave his all for the cause like many of his team-mates, tried to stop Doherty getting on the ball and dominating the contest.

Richard Carpenter: Tried to get involved but as the ball was launched from one end to the other never had time to settle. Taken off with a knock.

Nathan Jones: Starved of service but looked to run at the Robins defence when he got the chance. Withdrawn as he faded from the game.

Leon Knight: Hit the bar with a stunning free-kick, lively all afternoon and coolly slotted home the penalty that secured promotion.

Chris Iwelumo: Hardly in the game at all, but looked certain to score as he won the last-gasp penalty which won the game.

Substitutes

Paul Reid (replaced Richard Carpenter, 62 mins): Stretched the Robins defence as Brighton got more and more into the game at the finish.

John Piercey (replaced Nathan Jones, 78 mins): Showed his quality immediately with a stunning cross which Iwelumo headed wide.