Football News 24/7

Bristol Rovers managed to ensure an immediate return to the Football League after winning a penalty shoot-out against Grimsby at Wembley.

Having missed out on the Conference Premier title by one point to champions Barnet, Rovers had to do it the hard way, firstly overcoming Forest Green 3-0 on aggregate in the semi-final, before their hard fought victory at the national stadium.

It was the Mariners who went ahead after two minutes after John-Lewis managed to put the ball in the net, only to see his effort cancelled out just before the half hour mark when Bristol Rovers forward Ellis Harrison then smashed in an equaliser.

Then followed a tense ninety minutes including half an hour of extra time, in which neither side could clinch that crucial goal, meaning that their fates would be decided from the penalty spot.

And it was Rovers who were celebrating, after scoring all five of their penalties, with Lee Mansell scoring the winning penalty after Jon-Paul Pittman blazed his spot-kick over.