Brentford chief executive Mark Devlin praised the staff for remaining focused after it was confirmed Mark Warburton would leave the club in the summer.
The Bees secured a spot in the Championship play-offs on the final day of the season after beating Wigan 3-0, while Derby and Ipswich both lost, and will face Middlesbrough in the semi finals with the first leg on Friday at Griffin Park before travelling up to Boro the following week.
Brentford had been stuttering in recent weeks but won their final two games to pip Derby and Wolves to a spot in the end of season showdown and Devlin was full of praise for how Warburton and the squad dealt with the off-field issues.
He told GetWestLondon : “The disappointment in terms of the playing side and the club lasted maybe two or three weeks and you have to give credit to everyone involved for getting on with their jobs.
“I think we can forget about it and give our all against Middlesbrough and see where that gets us.”
Brentford don't, normally, do things the easy way and suffered last day heartbreak against Doncaster in 2013 with Marcello Trotta's missed penalty being the ultimate way of missing out on automatic promotion before losing in the play-off final to Yeovil.
The following season, the Bees were promoted to the Championship with three games remaining but securing promotion at Preston required Leyton Orient to lose and Rotherham to drop points, which they did.
And, given the previous dramas, Devlin was not surprised to see the Bees come through a dramatic final day.
He added: “Given what has gone on in the last three years at this club I'm beyond being surprised. I have to say I never expected Reading to win at Derby, by three goals.
“I'm delighted for the players, supporters, for Mark and for Matthew (Benham) and, of course, the supporters.”
Brentford should benefit by £250,000 and it will help the club ensure they are within Financial Fair Play regulations.
Devlin said: “Extra money always helps but now it's all about getting to Wembley and the Premier League.
“It's extra exposure for the club and excitement for the supporters. If the results hadn't gone our way, it'd still have been a great season.”
Middlesbrough beat Brentford in both games, thumping Warburton's side at the Riverside Stadium although could count themselves fortunate at Griffin Park, and Devlin sees no reason why the Bees can't shock the footballing world and take their place at English football's top table.
He added: “This team are as good as anybody on the day. If we turn up and go for it we can do it. Middlesbrough are a good side but we can go through.
“We're as good as the other three teams in it. We're good enough to do it on the day.
“We'd have taken survival (at the start of the season). The fans were saying as long as we survive that'd be great and the team and the club have surpassed everyone's expectations and we're well and truly on the footballing map.”
Were the Bees to suffer their eighth play-off failure though, Devlin promised that the Bees won't stop trying to reach the top flight.
He said: “We'll keep giving it a go. How can you excite people by saying you want to consolidate. If it doesn't happen this year we'll give it a right good go next season.”
