Mariners promoted after final win

RUNCORN LINNETS ....... 1 MARINE ............................ 2

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A SECOND half turnaround featuring goals from Neil Kengni and Jack Dunn ensure Marine will play Northern Premier League – Premier Division football next season, as a 2-1 win at Runcorn Linnets wins them the playoffs.

Neil Young made just one change from the side that won 3-2 in the semi-final at Workington, with Niall Cummins replacing Lewis Reilly in the starting line-up.

It was Linnets who started on top, grabbing a goal through Ryan Brooke inside three minutes, as Marine failed to set up for a corner defensively.

After that, the away side took the ascendancy, enjoying long spells of possession as they looked to carve out an equaliser.

Some quick link-up play involving Alex Doyle and Niall Cummins culminated with the ball being laid off to Neil Kengni, who saw his driven effort strike the base of the post.

Into the second half and the Mariners continued to knock on the door abd finally, in the 71st minute, the equaliser came.

Lewis Reilly picked the ball up just inside the penalty area, before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike against the crossbar.

As the ball came back down, Kengni rose the highest to nod the ball past Owen Mooney, levelling the score.

Continuing the onslaught further, Jack Dunn’s long-range effort was well saved by Mooney, before the resulting corner from Marine’s number 10 almost made its way straight into the top left corner, but was tipped over for another corner.

Reilly swung the resulting corner into the box, where he picked out Dunn in the six-yard box, making no mistake with the header.

Dunn has scored a couple of spectacular goals since joining the club, but this one from a couple of yards out is by far the most important.

Iwan Murray had appeals for a penalty waved away under challenge from David Lynch, after what looked like a close call.

Effectively killing all momentum in the game from then until the final whistle, the players, management team, fans and club officials at Marine can now celebrate their return to the Northern Premier League – Premier Division.

MARINE: Passant, Solomon-Davies, White, Howarth, Winnard, Clark (Lynch), Barrigan (Watkinson), Doyle, Cummins (Reilly), Dunn, Kengni

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