Lords of the manor
TASTES GOOD: Norwood (front) celebrates with his team-mates WHEN Tranmere hero James Norwood finished chatting about his matchwinning exploits, I asked if we should bow. “Peasants,” he replied. That was fair enough. After all, he is Lord of Hougan Manor in Cumbria.
As if this National League play-off final needed any more twists to its story. First the Wembley facts. With stoppage-time included, the match lasted 103 minutes, during which Tranmere played for 102 minutes and 12 seconds with 10 men after the dismissal of Liam Ridehalgh for a reckless challenge on Ricky Shakes before most players had touched the ball.
Five minutes later Andy Cook headed Tranmere in front, sparking celebrations which saw team-mate Josh Ginnelly hit on the head by a bottle thrown from the crowd.
Boreham Wood could not make their man advantage pay until deep into firsthalf stoppage-time when Bruno Andrade drove them level and then, as a tense second half drifted towards extra-time, Norwood glanced home an 80thminute goal to send Tranmere back into the Football League after a three-year absence.
Norwood arrived to meet the press with a package of 24 beers. “I took a time out to sit on the field and watch the lads celebrate,” he said. “I started crying. When I signed, it was all about promotion. When other lads signed, it was all about promotion. We thought we could do it last year but we fell at the last hurdle. We just put everything into this game. It has not quite sunk in.”
A senior career which started at hometown club Eastbourne a decade ago and has seen him journey through Exeter, Sutton and Forest Green Rovers now
SPORT IN BRIEF
REPORTS sees Norwood in League Two and in a rare position.
He has a title to his name, even if it was only for a bit of fun. He said: “I was in Pizza Express with five of my mates for a leaving do. My mate said he got upgraded on a train or a plane for being a Lord.
“I asked him how that came it about. He said he just bought it for 35 quid!
“Before the starters came out I went online and bought myself a plot, one metre of land up north, and became a Lord. I bought one for my dad too. I haven’t used it. I’m too embarrassed.
“My dad will use it. I think I can put it on my passport and driver’s licence but I couldn’t. I’ve never been to the land. It’s difficult to find, in protected land. I was thinking of building a skyscraper on it.”
Amid the laughter, seriousness.
Being back in League Two means a brighter future for Tranmere – no wonder manager Micky Mellon went running on to the Wembley turf at the the final whistle. “You have to make sure you enjoy these moments because football can be tough,” said Mellon, 12 months after his side were beaten here by Forest Green Rovers.
“We have suffered. We have lost our academy, we have lost so many members of staff because we had to make cuts.
“We have always had a strong youth at Tranmere but we were losing that because no one fancied, with due respect, coming to what we call ‘nonLeague’ because the local talent wanted to go to the League clubs.
“That will change now. We will be able to compete again for the young talent.
“Around the club people lost their jobs because we lost the Football League funding. That is the reality of the game.”
At 32, Boreham Wood’s Luke Garrard is one of the youngest managers in all levels of the football pyramid and he has steered the club to its highest finish, fourth.
They will be back. But this time it was someone else’s turn to be the lords of Wembley.
You have to enjoy these moments