Grimsby Town's National League play-off final win 'written in the stars', says match-winner Jordan Maguire-Drew
- Published
Grimsby Town were relegated from the Football League at the end of last season
Grimsby Town's National League play-off final victory over Solihull Moors was "written in the stars", match-winner Jordan Maguire-Drew said.
The Moors had taken the lead on the stroke of half-time through a Kyle Hudlin header.
A John McAtee leveller sent the tie to extra time, Maguire-Drew coming off the bench to score the winner and send the Mariners back up the Football League.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," Maguire-Drew told BBC Radio Humberside.
He added: "I feel like it's meant to be since the Notts County game and this team just never gives up.
"It's written in the stars sometimes - when the stars are aligned and things are meant to be, they're meant to happen."
Grimsby finished sixth in the table in their only season in the National League following relegation from League Two last season.
A dramatic 2-1 victory after extra time against Notts County in their play-off eliminator was followed up by a whirlwind 5-4 semi-final win at Wrexham, again after extra time.
And they were taken to a further 30 minutes again at London Stadium by the Moors, who had finished third in the table.
"I thought [the winner] was heading wide of the post," manager Paul Hurst said. "We'd talked about back-post efforts, you know the importance of that sort of area.
"Credit to Jordan - every time he plays, he seems to have a moment, whether it's scoring or setting up a goal. He was disappointed not to start, but he went about it in the right way."
Grimsby will now join Stockport County in League Two next season.
"It says everything about the club, the team, the players, from top to the bottom - I've never been involved in something so special," goalscorer McAtee said.