Southend United 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers (7-6 pens)

Southend goalkeeper Daniel Bentley tipped Sam Wood's penalty onto the post to clinch promotion

Southend goalkeeper Daniel Bentley was his side's hero as the Shrimpers beat Wycombe on penalties to win the League Two play-off final at Wembley.

With Southend 7-6 up in the shootout, Bentley kept out Sam Wood's effort to earn his side promotion to League One.

Earlier, Bentley had deflected Joe Jacobson's 25-yard free-kick into his own net to give Wycombe an extra-time lead.

But Joe Pigott slotted home in the 122nd minute to take it to penalties.

Wycombe goalkeeper Alex Lynch, making only his third senior start, saved the second Southend penalty from Ben Coker but, after Wanderers midfielder Matt Bloomfield - a first-minute substitute for the injured Sam Saunders - missed Wycombe's fourth penalty and the next two were scored, it went to sudden death.

Both sides converted their next two and, after Cian Bolger fired in the 15th penalty of the shootout, Bentley tipped Wood's effort onto the post to end the Shrimpers' five-year stay in the fourth tier.

Defeat will be bitterly disappointing for Gareth Ainsworth's Chairboys, who last season avoided relegation out of the Football League thanks to a final-day win over Torquay.

They finished fourth in the regular season, one place above Southend, and reached the final thanks to a 5-3 aggregate victory over Plymouth.

The first half was a drab affair, but had Bolger not been adjudged to have pushed a defender at an early free-kick then Barry Corr's powerful header into the net for Southend would have stood.

Both Corr and veteran defender Adam Barrett spurned headed second-half chances as the Shrimpers looked to take control.

But when Paul Hayes was fed in by Aaron Holloway, Bentley had to be at full stretch to deny his low strike.

Bentley then pulled off a remarkable stop to deny Aaron Pierre's late headed effort as the tie went to an extra 30 minutes.

And when Michael Timlin fouled Holloway on the edge of the box, Jacobson's curling free-kick hit the bar and bounced off the unfortunate Bentley and into the net.

Southend pressed hard and their attacking approach gave Holloway a chance to seal victory, but his mazy run was stopped by a despairing diving tackle from Coker.

And Myles Weston played a ball into the box from the left and Pigott, on loan from Charlton, struck into the far corner to send the game to penalties.

Joe Jacobson (left) celebrates after his free-kick was deflected into Southend's goal to give Wycombe the lead in extra time

Southend's players react to Daniel Bentley's penalty save which secured promotion

Wycombe Wanderers spent most of the regular season in the automatic promotion places

Southend will be playing in League One next season for the first time since 2010