Shifnal Town through to Midland Premier play-off final
Shifnal Town sealed their place in the Midland Premier final with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Brocton.
Connor Patterson's troops, who finished second this term, will now lock horns with 1874 Northwich at their Acoustafoam Stadium home on Saturday for a place in step four of the non-league pyramid.
Saturday's dramatic semi-final saw five of six goals arrive in the first half in front of a bumper crowd of 695. The visiting Badgers finished fifth in the regular season, just a place inside the play-offs.
Will Wheildon put the Staffordshire visitors ahead on 13 minutes but Sam Fitzgerald buried a penalty on 25 minutes to restore parity.
Shifnal kept their foot on the gas in front of a vociferous crowd. It got better still a couple of minutes later as Kyle Byrne latched on to a rebound following a razor-sharp Town break to convert for a 2-1 lead.
There was another twist before the interval and Brocton's top scorer Reg Smith fired for 2-2 with a stunning free-kick before half hour.
The decisive moment in the second period arrive just shy of the midpoint of the second half. A Fitzgerald corner caused havoc in the Brocton penalty area and defender Jack Rowley hammered a finish into the net.
Patterson's side saw out the tense finale to set up next weekend's showpiece at home to 1874 Northwich after their tight 1-0 semi-final progression on the road at Atherstone.
Further details about the clash, such as ticket details, are set to emerge in the coming days but the Acoustafoam Stadium clash is set to pull in an even bigger crowd in what has been a memorable campaign for the club, who have only been members of Midland and West Midlands league action since 1976/77.
