Glorious extra-time strikes from Lee Trundle and Michael McIndoe put Bristol City into the Championship play-off final after a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Ashton Gate gave them a 4-2 aggregate semi-final win.

In an enthralling game, Ben Watson's second goal over the two legs gave Palace an aggregate draw after 90 minutes, and he could have won it but missed a penalty in the second half.

The hosts - who had most of the possession in a match that ebbed and flowed - had their flair players as well as their superior stamina to thank.

The excellent Trundle curled them level on 103 minutes and McIndoe rifled home a free-kick seven minutes later.

City will now face either Hull or Watford in the play-off final at Wembley on May 24.

With no away goals rule in the Football League play-off system, Palace's opener on 24 minutes levelled the aggregate scores after City's 2-1 win at Selhurst Park.

Watson cleverly headed in from outside the area after a miscommunication between Robins goalkeeper Adriano Basso and defender Jamie McCombe saw a harmless cross diverted into his path with the Brazilian keeper off his line.

Otherwise it was all City. They started brightly and made Julian Speroni look nervous in the Palace goal when he flapped at Louis Carey's early cross.

The hosts dominated possession, but while Trundle and McIndoe in particular showed good touches there was no end product.

Palace left-back Clint Hill, meanwhile, was lucky to stay on the pitch when referee Howard Webb only showed him yellow for a studs-up tackle on Carey just before he break.

The hosts continued to press for an equaliser from the outset of the second half.

Elliott forced an excellent stop from Speroni when he diverted a corner towards the bottom right, while Dele Adebola was denied by a superb slide tackle from Hill after he muscled his way into the area.

Jose Fonte - who came on at half-time for Matt Lawrence - almost scored an own-goal but was saved by Speroni as City kept Palace camped in their own half.

But the visitors had a great chance to double their lead on the night and take an aggregate lead when a wild swing from Nick Carle missed the ball and connected with Tom Soares in the City box.

Watson stepped up for what would have been his third goal - and second penalty - of the tie, but the young midfielder sent the spot-kick crashing against the upright.

Palace were far from disheartened and proceeded to dominate the following minutes of the match, and Clinton Morrison came close to scoring on 83 minutes but was denied by Basso.

City realised the match was slipping away and worked their way back in the latter stages and Trundle was unlucky to be caught offside from Adebola's flick-on.

Teenager Sean Scannell almost scored a late Palace winner with a deflected shot, while the great entertainer Trundle was agonisingly close to one of the goals of the season when his audacious 89th-minute lob bounced off the top of the bar.

But it went to extra-time, and Gary Johnson's men started like a team possessed. Palace defended desperately to deny Adebola on two occasions and then held off a goalmouth scramble from a corner.

And the pressure told when a long ball was half-cleared by Palace, Trundle controlled the loose ball impeccably with his right foot and swept in a sweet curling shot with his favoured left to send the home fans into raptures.

Neil Warnock introduced teenage forward Victor Moses but it was the Robins who got the next goal when McIndoe drilled home a superb low drive from an indirect free-kick that even Warnock applauded.

Palace were broken and City - for the first time in their history - qualified for a play-off final at Wembley.

Reda Maher / Eurosport