The champagne corks popped and bottles spat out their fizzy contents over Wembley’s already-wet turf, but Sean O’Driscoll was not interested in alcoholic celebrations. The Doncaster Rovers manager was wondering whether the kettle was on.

“There’s a cup of tea waiting but I think it’s gone cold,” he said. In charge since 2006, when he left Bournemouth after 22 years as player and manager, O’Driscoll is softly-spoken and evidently does not bask in the warm glow of success for long.

Already he is turning to the task of keeping Doncaster in the Coca-Cola Championship. You can’t stand still in football, as soon as the game ends you’re thinking about the next,” he said, reflective amid the red-and-white ecstasy. “We’re back in preseason in four weeks.”

Still, promotion is a triumph for O’Driscoll, a firm believer in attractive football. “We’re a threat from any part of the pitch to score,” he said.

His appointment was greeted with scepticism by some fans but John Ryan, the chairman, kept faith in his man – although O’Driscoll now may have to keep Ryan’s feet on the ground: “He wants to win the European Cup in the next five years,” the manager said, jokingly.

Leeds once held such grandiose ambitions. Gary McAllister, their manager, said the result yesterday was right. “No qualms about that. We huffed and puffed and gave it every ounce of our energy but our execution in the final third lacked quality. We spent a lot of time working on set-pieces and one little lapse of concentration cost us.”

That was James Hayter’s header, the difference between the sides. Signed from Bournemouth for £200,000 last summer, the 29-year-old is the club’s record signing but injury meant that this was only his second start since January. “I didn’t know what to do when I scored, I just ran off and probably made a complete fool of myself,” he said. “I’d been dreaming about it all week - we’re going to go to some big teams now.”

Leeds are still a large club of course, albeit in reduced circumstances. McAllister, who took charge in January after Dennis Wise left for Newcastle United, said that their finances have stabilised and there is no need to cash in. “Things are better now,” he said. “We won’t be selling any players that I want to keep, we’re under no pressure. Leeds won’t have to sell to exist.”