Setting the scene…
Tranmere Rovers are back at Wembley Stadium for the third time in three years on Saturday afternoon when they meet Newport County in the Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final, 3pm kick-off.
Micky Mellon’s men are 90 minutes away from a back-to-back promotion and a return to Sky Bet League One having secured a 2-1 aggregate win versus Forest Green Rovers in the semi-final.
A first-half volley from top scorer James Norwood against his old club cancelled out Joseph Mills’ header to earn a 1-1 draw on the night at the New Lawn last Monday which saw TRFC progress over two legs.
Michael Flynn’s Exiles reached the Play-Off Final after overcoming Mansfield Town 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out following a goalless second leg over 120 minutes at Field Mill.
Saturday’s final will be Newport’s fourth appearance
at Wembley Stadium since it reopened in 2007.
Their previous three visits included 2-0 defeat to York City in the FA Trophy Final back in May 2012.
They later beat Wrexham 2-0 in an all-Welsh Conference Premier Play-Off Final a year later to secure EFL promotion in May 2013 before losing 2-0 away to Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup fourth-round replay in February 2018.
Team news
Manager Micky Mellon has no fresh injury concerns heading into the game this weekend.
Mark Ellis, Luke McCullough, Evan Gumbs and Ishmael Miller all remain long term absentees.
The Exiles season so far
Newport’s journey to the Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final saw the Rodney Parade club put together an impressive unbeaten form in the closing weeks of the campaign to finish in seventh position.
Unbeaten in their last 12, which included impressive home victories against the promoted duo of champions Lincoln City and runners-up Bury in April, that turned the race for a top seven place in their favour, a final day trip to Morecambe stood between them and the Play-Offs.
Trailing 1-0 late on at the Globe Arena, Jamille Matt’s 87th minute equaliser ensured Newport snatched seventh to conclude the season with 20 wins, 11 draws and 15 defeats.
Newport also enjoyed a run to the FA Cup fifth-round, knocking out Leicester City and Middlesbrough before bowing out to eventual English treble-winners Manchester City.
One to watch
Irish forward Padraig Amond’s 22 league goals sees him lead Newport County’s goal-scoring charts this term.
Amond, who recently earned his first call up to the senior Republic of Ireland squad, started out at Shamrock Rovers, where he won the League of Ireland First Division in 2006.
The Carlow-born player went on to spend a year at Sligo Rovers, collecting winners’ medals in the League of Ireland Cup and FAI Cup in 2010.
Following a brief stint in Portugal at Pacos de Ferreira, Amond signed for Accrington Stanley permanently in 2012 after a year on loan at the Crown Ground.
Amond has also represented Morecambe, Grimsby Town, where his 30 goals in 2015/16 helped the Mariners to promotion, as well as a stay with Hartlepool United.
The 31-year-old signed for Newport in August 2017 and he has found the back of the net 27 times in 88 Sky Bet League Two games since his arrival in South-East Wales.
Tickets
The SWA have been allocated 16,734 tickets for the East End of Wembley Stadium (this can increase if required).
Pricing categories at Wembley Stadium are split into six sections and there is also a concession rate for Senior Citizens and children aged 16 and under.
Category 1 - £60 Adults, £45 Ages 17-21, £30 Ages - 65 and over, 16 and under
Category 2 - £48 Adults, £36 Ages 17-21, £24 Ages - 65 and over, 16 and under
Category 3 - £44 Adults, £33 Ages 17-21, £22 Ages - 65 and over, 16 and under
Category 4 - £38 Adults, £28.50 Ages 17-21, £19 Ages - 65 and over, 16 and under
Category 5 - £32 Adults, £24 Ages 17-21, £16 Ages - 65 and over, 16 and under
Category 6 - £26 Adults, £19.50 Ages 17-21, £13 Ages - 65 and over, 16 and under.
Tickets are only available to purchase via TRFC’s official ticket partner, seetickets.com.
Click here to purchase your Play-Off Final tickets: https://www.seetickets.com/event/sky-bet-league-2-play-off-final-tranmere-rovers/wembley-stadium/1380870
For any supporter wishing to buy a wheelchair user ticket, sales of these tickets will be directly from Tranmere Rovers Football Club.
Click here to purchase your wheelchair user tickets: https://tickets.tygit.com/shop/group-tickets
Tranmere Rovers will be running club coaches from Prenton Park, which are set to depart for the capital at 8am. We advise that supporters arrive no later than 7:15am.
Click here to reserve your coach travel: https://tickets.tygit.com/shop/options
Match officials
Referee: Ross Joyce
Assistants: Nik Barnard and Rob Smith
Fourth official: Eddie Ilderton
Reserve assistant referee: Matthew Lee
Match coverage
Can’t make it to Rovers’ Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final against Newport County on Saturday afternoon? Don’t worry as you can keep up with goings on at Wembley Stadium.
You can now sign up to Tranmere Rovers’ iFollow, which allows access to extended highlights and interviews with manager Micky Mellon and the players.
To sign up, click here
Alternatively, you can follow the action through our social media channels below, with full text coverage during the fixture, followed by a match report.
Twitter: @tranmererovers
Facebook: @trfcofficial
Instagram: @tranmererovers