Hull City, after a largely unspectacular 104-year existence, are Wembley-bound for the first time after holding their nerve on a tension-packed evening in the East Riding.

Phil Brown's men, leading 2-0 from last Sunday's semi-final first leg at Watford, confirmed their place in the Championship play-off final with goals from Nicky Barmby, Caleb Folan, Richard Garcia and Nathan Doyle to prompt the biggest sporting party in Kingston-upon-Hull since the city's two rugby league clubs battled through to the 1980 Challenge Cup final.

Back then, so many fans made the pilgrimage south from what was then known – to council bureaucrats and the Royal Mail, at least – as Humberside on cup final day that those leaving via the A63 were met with a sign urging the last one out to make sure the city's lights had been turned off.

Come a week on Saturday when the Tigers will go head-to-head with Bristol City in north- west London for the £60m cash booty that comes with a place in the Premier League, a similar migration of Hullensians is expected with demand certain to outstrip supply when it comes to the club's 36,000 ticket allocation.

Whether Brown's men can then secure promotion on the biggest stage of all remains to be seen, but they will certainly go into that particular tale of two cities full of confidence after making largely light work over two legs of a Watford side who just over a year ago were rubbing shoulders with English football's elite.

Not that last night's return leg was not without nerves for the home fans in a crowd of 23,155 with Darius Henderson's 12th- minute strike combined with a largely disjointed first-half display from the hosts suggesting the Hornets may just stage an unlikely comeback.

The former Gillingham striker, who had missed the first leg through suspension following his dismissal on the final day of the regular season at Blackpool, had finished with aplomb after neat interplay with Lee Williamson had opened up the Hull backline and the strike clearly rocked City.

Just moments earlier, Fraizer Campbell had wasted a glorious chance to make the tie safe when Adrian Mariappa's back-header fell woefully short of his goalkeeper.

The on-loan Manchester United striker was, however, unable to squeeze his shot past Richard Lee and the ball was cleared.

It meant that when Henderson subsequently cut City's aggregate lead in half the tension levels inside the KC Stadium were cranked up and Watford were able to seize the initiative.

Indicative of the home side's struggles in midfield during the opening 45 minutes was the ease with which Matt Sadler skipped past Richard Garcia before drilling a cross that Henderson should have done better with than tamely divert into Boaz Myhill's hands.

It was clear City needed a lift and it arrived just two minutes before the break when a powerful header forward into the area by Andy Dawson could only be diverted straight up into the air by Jay DeMerit.

With goalkeeper Lee out of position off his line, Garcia reacted quickly to loop a header towards goal where Barmby gleefully nodded into the net.

The jubilation of the Hull players was only matched by the desolation on the faces of the visitors with Aidy Boothroyd's men knowing the game was almost up.

Any lingering hopes Watford may have had of staging a late comeback were then extinguished 20 minutes from time when Folan converted Sam Ricketts's right-wing cross from close range.

Garcia added a third with a darting run and finish before Doyle – whose partner gave birth earlier in the day – saw his shot deflected past Lee in stoppage time to round off a memorable night as City booked their place for world football's most lucrative club game in style.

Hull City: Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Dawson; Garcia, Ashbee, Hughes, Barmby (Fagan 72); Campbell (Doyle 78), Windass (Folan 64). Unused substitutes: Duke, Walton.

Watford: Lee; Mariappa (Priskin 58), De Merit, Bromby, Sadler; Smith, Eustace, Williamson, McAnuff; Ellington (Ainsworth 78), Henderson. Unused substitutes: Poom, Doyley, O'Toole.

Referee: M Clattenberg (Tyne & Wear).