Salford City will meet Notts County at Wembley in the League Two play-off final after a night of drama, late goals and extra time left both clubs one game from promotion. Salford edged Grimsby Town 4-3 on aggregate after Kallum Cesay struck in the 117th minute to settle a 2-2 draw in the semi-final second leg.

It was a grim finish for Grimsby, who had overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit with two second-half goals in four minutes before extra time. Daniel Udoh had given Salford a second-half lead, but Kieran Green headed in after 74 minutes and Jaze Kabia followed soon after to swing the tie. Cesay, who has now scored the 11th goal of his season, restored Salford’s edge in the final minutes of extra time and sent Karl Robinson’s side to their first EFL play-off final.

Notts County had already booked their place in the final after a 0-0 draw with Chesterfield at Meadow Lane kept them 1-0 ahead on aggregate. Jayden Luker’s first-leg goal proved enough for Notts County, who are now bidding to return to the third tier for the first time since 2015. Salford, backed by the Class of '92 ownership group, are chasing League One for the first time in the club’s history and have never played in English football’s third tier.

The final at Wembley on May 25 brings together two clubs with very different histories but the same target. Salford reached Wembley once before in 2021, when they won the EFL Trophy final against Portsmouth, but this will be the biggest day in the club’s short league life. For Notts County, it is a chance to end a decade away from the division above. For Salford, it is a chance to make history at the stadium where their latest run nearly slipped away before Cesay’s finish.