RACING Club Warwick clinched promotion from the Northern Premier League Midlands with a dramatic play-off final victory against Belper Town.
The game ended 1-1 in regulation time with no further goals in extra time at Belper’s Raygar Stadium.
However, the Racers triumphed 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout to achieve a third promotion in the space of four seasons.
Warwick will play at Step Three for the first time in 23 years next season.
The management team of Jack Edwards and Chris Knott guided the club to promotion after replacing Scott Easterlow in the Townsend Meadow dugout back in March.
Warwick finished just one place and three points below Belper in the Northern Premier League Midlands table.
And Belper had home advantage in the final by virtue of finishing above the Racers in the table.
Belper broke the deadlock three minutes before half time as Kevin Bastos fired a low effort across goal into the bottom left corner from 20-yards out.
However, the Racers responded virtually straight from the restart when James Harding poked home Aaron Opoku’s low ball in from the right.
Neither side could strike again in regulation time while the extra period also remained goalless with the play-off final to be decided by a penalty shootout.
Both teams scored their first spot kick before Belper fired their second penalty over the crossbar.
The Racers briefly led in the shootout only for Connor Taylor to hit the crossbar with Warwick’s third attempt.
The shootout entered sudden death after both teams scored their next four penalties each.
However, Racers goalkeeper Tom Allsopp denied Danny South to leave the Racers one kick from victory only for Jasper Tetlow to see his spot kick saved by Kieran Preston.
Allsopp produced further heroics to save Jack Broadhead’s tame penalty as Jordan Hayward’s emphatic spot kick clinched promotion for the Racers in the most dramatic fashion.
