Tranmere back in the EFL in epic fashion

Tranmere Rovers captain Steve McNulty admitted his side had done it the hard way after winning promotion back to the Football League.

Goals in either half from Andy Cook and James Norwood clinched Rovers a 2-1 Wembley win against Boreham Wood in the National League play-off final.

Tranmere, beaten 3-1 by Forest Green in last year’s final, played a l most the entire game with 10 men after defender Liam Ridehalgh was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Ricky Shakes inside the opening minute.

But although Bruno Andrade equalised for Boreham Wood in first-half stoppage time, Rovers dug deep to make amends for last season’s heartache and end a three-year Football League exile.

“We’ve done it the hard way haven’t we?” McNulty (pictured) said in a postmatch interview. “But we still had that belief.

“We came in 1-1 at halftime and we went out there with a gameplan and it worked.

“We never do things the easy way. The semi-final and now the final. But it just shows the character of the lads, how close we are as a bunch and we got the job done.”

Tranmere needed extra-time to squeeze past Ebbsfleet in their play-off semi-final and McNulty said victory in the capital was his career high point.

“I think when I look back this will be my proudest moment,” he said. “It’s my hometown club. I’m lost for words at the minute, but it will all sink in later on.

“These times don’t come round often in your football career, so when they do come round you’ve got to enjoy them, and enjoy them we will.

“We’ve worked hard to get them back in there as a group, people behind the scenes, the fans. It’s a tough old division to get out of and hopefully we won’t go back in it.”