Tranmere Rovers earned a spot in League One thanks to Connor Jennings’ last-gasp extra-time winner against 10-man Newport County.
Jennings headed home Jake Caprice’s perfect cross to break the resistance of a Newport side who battled with great spirit despite a numerical disadvantage.
An even contest swung decisively in Tranmere’s favour when County captain Mark O’Brien was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 89th minute.
It compounded Newport’s misery as Michael Flynn’s side felt they were denied a clear penalty just moments earlier when Emmanuel Monthe appeared to foul Newport forward Jamille Matt.
Rovers’ win was their second play-off final success in as many years.
Rovers return to familiar stage
Rovers were participating in their first Football League play-off final since 1991, when they beat Bolton Wanderers at Wembley in the third-tier final, but the stadium has been a home from home for them the past three years.
While neither side has been a stranger to Wembley in recent seasons, Micky Mellon’s side have been finalists in the previous two National League play-offs, and were chasing back-to-back play-off promotions.
Tranmere, unchanged from their semi-final success over Forest Green Rovers, struggled to impose themselves in a scrappy first period, but arguably had the clearer chances when they did manage to test Newport goalkeeper Joe Day.
The best opportunity fell to top scorer James Norwood on 26 minutes, but he blasted the ball straight at Day as he volleyed at goal first time from Caprice’s excellent cut-back.
Norwood, the joint-top scorer in English football this season with 32 goals, came into this contest knowing just one goal would see him eclipse Sergio Aguero and lead the standings outright for 2018-19.
He headed over just before the interval from another fast counter, but it was increasingly clear there was a very fine margin between the sides who finished sixth and seventh in League Two.
Rovers thought Dan Butler’s clumsy challenge might have earned them a second-half penalty, while County had their own protests waved away for a possible handball from a Matt shot.
Norwood’s big chance finally came in added-on time, but he poked wide with the goal at his mercy.
Tranmere struggled against County’s 10 men in the first period of extra time but Jennings’ pinpoint through-ball presented Norwood another chance, with the shot deflected wide.
Rovers pushed and pushed, but seemed destined to fail to find a winner until Jennings’ vital touch with just a minute of extra time remaining.
County’s arduous road to Wembley a step too far
Incredibly, Wembley was the stage for Newport’s 62nd game of the season, with the Exiles having reached the fifth round of the FA Cup and the knockout stage of the Checkatrade Trophy on the way to their eye-catching end-of-season run that saw them reach the play-offs.
In the top four tiers of English football, only Chelsea, who will play their 63rd game of the campaign when they face Arsenal in the final of the Europa League, have competed more times this season.
The Exiles also came into this contest with a run of 12 games unbeaten, their best since 1938, but game 13 proved unlucky for the Amber Army.
The Exiles looked sharp from the get-go with Matt heading wide within the first minute and within inches of opening the scoring when Padraig Amond flicked on a free-kick that evaded Matt’s touch by inches as Newport showed why they have been in such fine form.
The Exiles were direct but effective throughout the first period, with Matt and Amond stretching Rovers’ defence and allowing midfielders to make late runs into the box and Joss Labadie covering an implausible amount of ground on an energy-sapping day.
However, like their opponents, most of Newport’s first half efforts were off target, a continuation on a theme from their semi-final second leg at Mansfield’s Field Mill where more than 60 efforts on goal from both sides yielded a 0-0 stalemate.
The Exiles were unable to look as threatening after the interval, though they were rarely troubled themselves before an absolutely outstanding save by Scott Davies denied them on 73 minutes, with Davies incredibly managing to tip Matt’s point-blank header onto the post after Dan Butler’s imperious cross.
The Exiles were also denied what looked a huge penalty shout for a foul on Matt with only four minutes of normal time remaining and saw another penalty claim turned down seconds before O’Brien was sent off for a foul on Norwood that produced a second yellow card.
Extra time saw Flynn’s side forced to defend as Tranmere pushed with their numerical advantage, though they did threaten Davies through Amond’s header and a shot from a narrow angle by substitute Keanu Marsh-Brown.
They seemed set to earn a penalty shootout, but Jennings had other ideas.
