Crystal Palace defender Danny Gabbidon has expressed his delight at Wilfried Zaha's "fairytale ending" to his time at the club.

Zaha helped his side reach the Premier League this afternoon, winning the penalty that ultimately saw Palace clinch a 1-0 win over Watford in the Championship playoff final.

The 20-year-old will join Manchester United at the end of the season having signed for £15m back in January, and Gabbidon believes that promotion was the perfect way for Zaha to bid farewell to Palace.

"He's been here a long time, he owes the club a lot," said Gabbidon.

"The player you see today is what has come out of this club.

"He was emotional after the game, I think he realised just what he has done and what we have done. Now he's moving on to play for one of the best teams in the world next season. I'm really pleased for him, it's a fairytale ending."

Zaha, who was Sir Alex Ferguson's final signing as Manchester United manager, has been at Crystal Palace since he was eight years old.