Carlisle United sealed promotion to Sky Bet League One as they beat Stockport County 5-4 on penalties at Wembley.
Jon Mellish’s unfortunate own goal in the first half saw the Cumbrians trail before Omari Patrick’s late equalizer meant it finished 1-1 in the League Two play-off final, sending the game into extra-time and a shootout where United eventually prevailed.
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Isaac Olaofe gives Stockport the lead in the League Two play-off final with this cross-turned-shot which loops in
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Omari Patrick meets the cross of Joel Senior and slides it home to equalize late for Carlisle
It is the first return for Carlisle to the third tier in nine years, and caps off an exceptional season under Paul Simpson – who led the club to back-to-back promotions himself as player-manager from non-League to League One between 2004 and 2006, only returning to the club last February.
Stockport, meanwhile, fell just short of achieving their own immediate rise from the fifth tier to League One, having only come out of the National League last year. Their wait to reach that level, going back to 2010, will go into a 14th year. But it has still been a remarkable campaign for a side that were in the National League North as recently as 2019.
Carlisle returns to League One after nine years away
It wasn’t a classic of a first helped in scorching conditions at Wembley, and it took a stroke of real fortune for Stockport to take the lead on 34 minutes. Isaac Olaofe’s attempted cross from the right took a big deflection off the foot of Mellish, looping over the unfortunate Tomas Holy in the Carlisle goal. Even at 6ft9, he had no chance of stopping it.
Just before the hour it ought to have been a second for Stockport, as Chris Hussey floated a free-kick into an unmarked Akil Wright, who had a chasm to aim at but somehow only managed to head wide.
Carlisle boss Paul Simpson ran the changes, and it was one of his substitutions who found the late equalizer, as Patrick coolly finished from just inside the box after Joel Senior’s cross had ricocheted into his path.
That goal took the game to extra time and then penalties. Carlisle took five perfect spotkicks, while Ryan Rydel’s crucial miss with Stockport’s second meant it was the Cumbrians who prevailed.
What’s next?
Having achieved promotion, Carlisle will play in Sky Bet League One during the 2023/24 season, while Stock port will remain in League Two for another year. Both divisions start on the weekend of August 5-6.