May 31, 2004 is a date that resonates with just about every Huddersfield Town fan and one they have fond memories of for more reasons than one, as they sealed promotion from the Third Division at the first attempt with a play-off final win over Mansfield Town on penalties.

Having been relegated from what was then known as Division Two - or League One to more recent additions to the Town fanbase - things looked bleak for the club after entering administration in 2003 and facing crippling debts of up to £20m.

Peter Jackson stepped up in true superhero fashion and masterminded a remarkable turnaround in fortunes. Having played for the club and enjoying a first stint in charge between 1997 and 1999, there appeared few better candidates to reverse a worryingly steep downward trajectory.

CLICK: Town fans at the 2004 play-off final

'Jacko' did just that, despite being able to call upon just eight players when he arrived for his second spell in charge.

He made some shrewd investments in the transfer market by snapping up the likes of Rob Edwards, Tony Carss, Efe Sodje and Steve Yates, who offset the departure of star man Martin Smith and helped form the core of the play-off winning side.

Some fans might have been content with a season of consolidation rather than the sort of risk taking which could have seen Town plunge further down the English football hierarchy.

But Jackson was intent on making the club's first stay in the bottom division since 1979/1980 a brief one and thanks to the goals of Jonathan Stead, they were the early frontrunners.

The striker left for Blackburn Rovers in January, which led to Town moving for Preston North End's Pawel Abbott.

Abbott did well on the whole, but his woeful error on the final day at Cheltenham Town meant Town lost out on the chance of automatic promotion, with Torquay United pipping them to third place on goal difference.

A two-legged play-off semi final with seventh-placed Lincoln City followed and Town snuck through, with Edwards netting a late equaliser on the night and a winner overall as the Terriers battled back from 2-0 down to seal a place in the Millennium Stadium showpiece.

They met a Mansfield Town side who had hit three against Town in both of the league meetings during the campaign but Jackson's side were perhaps considered marginal favourites after finishing fourth and six points ahead of their opponents.

It was an open game, with plenty of chances, as any idea that tension may get the better of the two sides soon evaporated.

The two other respective play-off finals - between Crystal Palace and West Ham United and Brighton and Bristol City - had been largely dour affairs but this was nothing of the sort, despite the eventual 0-0 scoreline.

Andy Booth headed just wide six minutes in and it was a sign of things to come.

Liam Lawrence and Bobby Hassell went closest for the Stags as the game ebbed and flowed, with Danny Schofield and Abbott the next to try their luck, only to be denied by Kevin Pilkington on each occasion.

Schofield and his opposite number Wayne Corden were causing plenty of problems for each set of defenders on the flanks, with the former almost scoring a wonder goal with a jinking run which was ended rather abruptly by Mansfield's Adam Eaton.

Eaton was dealt his comeuppance by finally being cautioned before Sodje followed him into referee Mark Clattenburg's notebook.

The final 20 minutes was arguably the most absorbing of the contest, with Andy Booth seeing his header saved before Schofield's effort was blocked heroically by Tom Curtis' diving challenge.

Booth's disappointing chipped attempt sandwiched Mansfield's best spell of the game as, first, Colin Larkin narrowly missed Corden's whipped centre before the winger forced a save out of Paul Rachubka with a long-range effort.

Mansfield finished with a flourish but their dreams of sealing a win were crushed when Larkin's strike was controversially chalked off after Laurent D'Jaffo's cross was adjudged to have gone out of play.

Onto extra-time, then, and while the game fizzled out slightly, there were still chances to report.

Carss curled just inches wide from 25 yards for the Terriers before D'Jaffo headed wide, Corden brought out another save from Rachubka and Pilkington extraordinarily denied Anthony Lloyd's bending strike.

The plethora of goalscoring chances amazing yielded no goals. Penalties would decide who went up and who stayed exactly where they were in terms of league placing.

Town were decisive from the spot as Edwards, Schofield and Carss each found the net with aplomb.

Mansfield failed to replicate their opponents' clinical edge and Corden and Lawrence were both guilty of poor penalties. Substitute Neil MacKenzie knocked in his spot-kick but it was left to Lee Fowler, amazingly from Cardiff originally, to send Town into Division Two.

He duly obliged, wheeling away to celebrate with his elated team-mates as the fans and Jackson joined in the unforgettable celebrations.

It capped an amazing comeback to secure promotion at the first attempt and, 10 years on, it still remains prominent in Town fans' memories.

Take our 2004 play-off final quiz - click here to see how much you remember from 10 years ago            

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