Derby County are 45 minutes from Wembley and the Championship playoff final after Will Hughes put the home side ahead against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Leading 2-1 from the first leg, Derby looked the more likely to score and Andre Wisdom came closest in a cagey opening period when he cut inside from the right flank, but his shot was comfortably held by Tomasz Kuszczak.
The Rams pinned back their opponents for much of the opening period and both Jake Buxton and Chris Martin nearly added to their aggregate advantage.
After concerted pressure Derby finally broke through when Craig Forsyth found Hughes and the youngster, recalled to the starting lineup in place of the injured Craig Bryson, produced a calm finish to the delight of the County faithful inside a raucous Pride Park.
Brighton then produced a fine moment in an otherwise quiet first half for the Seagulls when Leonardo Ulloa plucked a pass from Jesse Lingard out of the air, but found Lee Grant on good form as the Rams stopper kept him out.
Chris O'Keefe
