Ankergen insisted that it should be Leeds playing in the Championship next season and not Rovers or second-placed Nottingham Forest.

He blames the 15-point penalty imposed by the League last summer for denying Leeds that opportunity.

Without the deduction, which was imposed for breaking rules relating to insolvency and which led to a lengthy legal battle, Leeds would have finished 11 points clear of Rovers in the League One table and only one point behind champions Swansea City.

Reflecting on the controversy, Ankergren said: "That is all that is going through my head right now – Nottingham Forest should not be in the Championship next season, we should.

"We have had a great season and we can be proud of our results, but we are standing here with nothing and we will have to play in League One again next season.

"We knew it would be tough against Doncaster because they are a good side – but they are not better than us," he insisted. "However, it will be them playing in the Championship next season, not us.

"It is not a nice feeling. Hopefully we will start next season with zero points and go up, but you never know if the League might give us minus 13 points or something like that."

Leeds had showed their resentment towards Football League chairman Brian Mawhinney before the kick-off yesterday at Wembley.

Booes echoed around the stadium as Mawhinney was introduced to the two sides and few Leeds players smiled or even made eye contact with the former Northern Ireland secretary as they shook hands.

Ankergren said: "In a couple of days we may think more positively and may look back on this as a great season. But right now I have not got a lot of positive thoughts about what's happened

"I came here to play in the Championship and hopefully get in the Premier League so this is not what you want."

Ankergren stressed, however, that he has no desire to quit Elland Road and fully intends to win promotion during the next two years of his current deal.

"Of course I want to stay," he said. "I love the club and I love the fans. We just have to start again, but we can be proud of what we have done this season. Hopefully, we can keep these players and bounce back."

Rovers striker James Hayter said that scoring the winning goal in the play-off final was a dream come true.

Hayter only started the game because of the absence of the suspended Paul Heffernan and headed the winner at a corner two minutes after the break.

"It's unbelievable to score the winner at Wembley, I have been dreaming about this all week," he said.

"It is definitely the most important goal of my career because I have never played at Championship level and that's why I decided to join this club last summer.

"I had not started a game for four months prior to the semi-final and some of the lads have been saying that it was written in the stars for me to score the winner. I am really looking forward to testing myself at that level."

Hayter was previously a play-off winner with his former club Bournemouth five years ago – defeating Lincoln City to win promotion to League One.

"This eclipses promotion with Bournemouth because this is a bigger stage and there was a bigger prize at stake," he said.

"We have done well over the season and we deserve to go up overall.

"We play football and we stick to our principles. We will be more than a match for a few teams in the Championship next season.

"Obviously you feel sympathy for Leeds because, in any other season, they would have been promoted automatically, but we are just happy for ourselves and delighted that we are up."

Midfielder Richie Wellens played through the pain barrier to help Rovers secure promotion to football's second tier for the first time in 50 years and will now have a hernia operation in the next few days.

Wellens believes Rovers need a 20-goal striker to do well next season and insists that Hayter or the suspended Paul Heffernan could fit the bill.

"I think we would be comfortable in the Championship if we manage to keep the players fit," he said.

"Someone needs to get 20 goals for us, but there is not a need for a new goalscorer – we have Paul Heffernan, James Hayter and Jason Price who can score goals, but we need them to stay fit.

"We won't be going into the Championship looking to survive. We will be going in there looking to compete."

Winger James Coppinger, meanwhile, paid tribute to manager Sean O'Driscoll.

"The manager has stuck to his principles and the way he wants to play," he said. "He has not changed the team too much this season and I am delighted for him more than anything else."