Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Northampton Town: Sam Hoskins scores as Cobblers seal promotion to League One
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Match-winner Sam Hoskins leads the Northampton promotion celebrations
Northampton Town sealed promotion to League One as a sumptuous Sam Hoskins volley earned victory over Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.
The Cobblers needed maximum points to be certain of going up and held their nerve in a tense match, ensuring Stockport County's result against already relegated Hartlepool was irrelevant.
As it happened, Stockport failed to keep their side of the bargain, missing an injury-time penalty as they drew, meaning Jon Brady's side finished third - four points clear of County.
Northampton fans celebrated wildly as the news of that spot-kick miss - and the subsequent final whistle at Edgeley Park - filtered through.
Supporters poured on to the pitch, with match-winner Hoskins and numerous team-mates mobbed and carried aloft as they celebrated together.
The scenes of jubilation were partly down to sheer relief, as a draw or defeat coupled with victory for Stockport over Pools would have left Northampton contemplating more final-day heartache and another campaign in the fourth tier of English football.
Goal difference was behind possibly the cruellest ever final-day blow last season, when Jon Brady's side missed out on automatic promotion to Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers, who amazingly won their final game 7-0 to leapfrog Northampton despite their own 3-1 victory.
The Cobblers had to settle for the play-offs and were bundled out in their two-legged semi-final against Mansfield Town.
But there was to be no such agony this time, with any inevitable nerves calmed as they took the lead in stunning style inside five minutes.
A corner was headed clear at the near post, but only to Hoskins, who controlled the ball beautifully on his chest and crashed a volley past keeper Mateusz Hewelt from 18 yards.
Sam Hoskins' 22nd league goal of the season put the Cobblers ahead inside five minutes
But although Rovers had little to play for in terms of their league placing, the chance to impress in the first game under Ian Dawes since his full-time appointment saw them edge possession for the rest of the first half.
They struggled to break down a well-drilled defence and created very little, but twice loudly claimed for a penalty and Town were also grateful to keeper Lee Burge who made a vital intervention to cut out a dangerous low cross.
At the other end Hoskins was twice off target as the visitors looked to extend their lead, first with a volley that drifted wide from the edge of the box and then blazing over with another long-range attempt.
The second half became increasingly nervy for the Cobblers, with Tranmere creating a few decent chances.
Lee O'Connor headed narrowly wide after a dreadful sliced clearance by Harvey Lintott, Kane Hemmings dragged a shot off target from 20 yards after some intricate interplay on the edge of the box and Sam Taylor saw a shot tipped wide by Burge.
The visitors had chances of their own, notably Louis Appere hesitating when in on goal, but they did not require the safety net of a second goal - either to secure victory, or earn promotion.
Cobblers heal scars of last season
Brady said Northampton's charge towards promotion this season was built on the "big scar" that was left by missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference on the final day last year.
And losing to Mansfield in the play-offs after their last-day heartbreak could have further derailed the Cobblers.
Instead, they have been among the challengers all season after winning eight and losing only one of their first 11 league games.
They stuttered a little in October when they won only one of their six league fixtures, and again early in the new year when they picked up just six points from a possible 18.
But since winning at Colchester at the end of February, they have won eight of their 14 games, losing only twice, to take a stranglehold on a top-three place.
Defeat by Bradford in their penultimate game meant, once again, the Cobblers would have to sweat on the final day, but there was to be no freakish last-gasp drama to deny them this time.
And although it has been very much a team effort, the quality of League Two's player of the year Hoskins has played a huge part in their success.
It was fitting that his stunning strike saw Northampton join champions Leyton Orient and Stevenage in League One next season.
Northampton boss Jon Brady told BBC Radio 5 live:
"It's more of a relief, especially with what we've gone through with all the injuries.
"Since Christmas we've had 10 players out every game, players that we've managed to get in that would take a minimum wage, they've been discarded by other League Two clubs, have come in and helped brilliantly
"We've found a way and that's been our motto. After last season it's trying to let this sink in somehow that we've got over the line.
"We've been through a lot of pain as well. Three or four weeks ago we had no fit defenders, we had to play central midfielders at centre-back, Sam Hoskins had to play right-back.
"That group is so together and it's been incredible. It hasn't sunk in yet.
"The first season I took over we had 20 games to go and we narrowly missed on staying in League One by three points. That was hard to take.
"Over the last two seasons we've got 163 points, last season we got all the way to the end, but Scunthorpe fielded an under-18 side and Bristol Rovers were allowed to score all the goals they wanted and they got one more than us. It deeply hurt and left a scar."