Leeds 2, Bristol Rovers 1

Just one month after being pilloried by Leeds fans, Jermaine Beckford was their hero as his 63rd minute winner ensured automatic promotion to the Championship amid scenes of unbridled celebration.

Now the big question is whether the 31-goal marksman can be persuaded to forget his wanderlust, sign a new contract and help the club’s quest for promotion to the Premiership.

Manager Simon Grayson not only restored Beckford to the starting line-up against Bristol Rovers – he made him captain with Richard Naylor sidelined by a hamstring injury and Jonny Howson starting on the bench.

Like so many of Grayson’s decisions this season, it worked and Beckford not only summoned his goal-poaching skill, he showed responsibility in trying to persuade Max Gradel to leave the pitch after the Ivory Coast forward was shown the red card for a 33rd minute skirmish with Rovers defender Daniel Jones, who was booed for the rest of the game.

Grayson said: “Jermaine has become a hero. Whether he leaves is a question for another time.

“He is out of contract but responded in the right manner to what I asked of him. Jermaine got the goal but I thought the whole team were heroes.

“If we can offer him the right deal, I would love him to stay. If you are competing against teams from the Premier League it is a different ball game but we will do as much as we can. We offered him contracts last summer because we know what he can do.

“If he moves on, he will do so with my best wishes because he has been a fantastic player to work with since I arrived at the club. If he stays then I have one hell of a player on my hands.”

Grayson joked: “The lads have gagged him and tied him up before putting a contract in front of him. I don’t know if he will have a change of heart, but if there is a chance within our financial constraints then we will try to keep him because he is a fantastic player.

“We turned down good money in January because we wanted to win promotion. His goals have proved that was the right decision.”

Grayson explained the thinking behind handing Beckford the captaincy on the day.

He said: “My objective was to give him added responsibility and I thought he responded. I looked around and thought ‘why not Jermaine?’ He is one of the senior pros and I knew he would be back in the team. I thought that extra responsibility might give him an extra spring in his step.

“I thought it worked. I noticed as he led out the team that he was very vocal. That is not his usual manner.”

Gradel’s 33rd-minute dismissal and Darryl Duffy’s goal just two minutes after the break looked like consigning Leeds to the play-offs, but substitute Howson rifled in a 20-yard equaliser and, when Rovers keeper Mikkel Andersen threw the ball straight to Bradley Johnson, his cross was half-cleared to Beckford, who was besieged by ecstatic team-mates after firing home the rebound.

Repeated pleas for the fans to stay off the pitch at the end were ignored as they raced on in their droves to savour a defining moment in the club’s roller-coaster history.

Grayson added: “The chairman (Ken Bates) is delighted and conversations with him about money can wait for next week. He is as delighted as me we have won promotion. I think getting out of League One for Leeds United will prove to have been harder than getting out of the Championship.

“We are a big scalp in this division. I know the Championship is a difficult division and there are some really big teams in there but it doesn’t frighten me.

“I won’t say ‘we will be promoted next year’ but I am an ambitious manager and want to get this club in the Premier League.”

“We will have a good go. It is a challenge we will embrace. We will have a good couple of days and the chairman has organised a trip for the players and staff. Now it is in the press, we can hold him to that promise. We are not sure where we are going – Filey or Bridlington, probably!

“It has been a long season for everyone connected with the club. The players will disappear for seven or eight weeks and I will get a holiday at some stage, but come Monday and Tuesday, I will be planning for next year.”