Hull City manager Steve Bruce says he probably would have lost his job if his side had squandered a huge lead and been defeated in their Championship playoff semi-final against Derby County on Tuesday.

Hull barely managed to protect a three-goal advantage from the first leg after they survived a huge scare in the 2-0 home loss and are now one win away from a rapid return to the Premier League, having been relegated last year.

"If I had lost tonight, I could have been sacked," Bruce, who signed a three-year contract with the club last season, told British media after the match.

"With our profession at the moment, you ask the question constantly. I've been here now four years. As I always do, I'll sit down with the owners and when the final game is gone I'll see what happens."

Hull finished fourth in the table, five points ahead of fifth-placed Derby, and will play in an all-Yorkshire final against Sheffield Wednesday, who completed a 3-1 aggregate victory over Brighton on Monday.

The winner of the May 28 playoff final at Wembley will earn a lucrative spot in England's top flight believed to be worth up to 170 million pounds ($245.5 million) to the promoted side.

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