By Tony Leighton

The bitter taste of a Play-Off Final defeat will spur on Bristol City's Lee Trundle as the former Wrexham and Swansea City striker looks to spearhead his team's Wembley challenge for a place in the Premiership.

Trundle re-paid a chunk of the £1million transfer fee paid by City to Swansea last August when he hit a superb extra-time goal to set the Robins en route to a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the second leg of their Play-Off semi-final on Tuesday evening.

Having beaten Palace by the same scoreline in the first leg at Selhurst Park, City were well deserving of a place in Saturday week's Final. And Trundle can't wait to step out at Wembley, where he can put behind him his 2006 Millennium Stadium nightmare.

Playing for Swansea against Barnsley in the League 1 Play-Off Final, Trundle's dream of playing Championship football for the first time was shattered when the Swans lost in a penalty shoot-out following a 2-2 draw.

"I stayed out of the pitch and watched Barnsley collect the (Play-Off winners) trophy," recalls the 31 year-old striker. "I wanted to show how much it hurt and to make me stronger in the future.

"It's things like that stick in your mind, because you don't ever want to feel like that again and it can make you drive on from that experience. That's how it worked with me and I'll be absolutely determined to end on the winner's side this time."

Having despite that 2006 heartbreak achieved his aim of playing in the Championship, albeit via the transfer market rather than promotion, Trundle is now set on the ultimate of stepping up to the Premiership at a comparatively late stage in his career.

He will be 32 in October but reckons age will not hamper him if the Robins make the top flight - not that he is taking anything for granted as he looks to end what at times has been a frustrating first season at Ashton Gate with a Play-Off Final flourish.

"I've had a stop-start season," he admits, "but I've never got down. I've worked hard on the training ground and in the gym every day, I've kept plugging away and nights like the one we've just had against Palace make you forget all about those frustrations.

"Now we're 90 minutes away from the Premiership, we're going to Wembley and it's going to be a massive occasion. But I thrive on playing in big games - it gives you a lift to have so much at stake and to know you can play a big part.

"It's every footballer's dream to play in the Premiership and if we get up there then my age won't affect me as long as I keep myself fit and strong, which I'll certainly do and so I don't see there being any problems.

"But all I'm focusing on right now is the Play-Off Final. It was hard work getting through the semi-final and we've got more of the same to come, but we've got to go to Wembley with confidence and belief because we're just one game away from the Premiership."