Harrogate Town 3-1 Notts County: National League play-off final – live reaction!

12.25pm EDT 12:25

Neal Ardley tells Sky that he knew Harrogate would come out fast, but his team didn’t live with it. He acknowledges that better team won, but laments that too many of his players “didn’t turn up” and were nervous. He needed a perfect second-half performance to resolve things, and his team were better but not better enough. Now, he needs to look forwards, and is targeting automatic promotion next season.

12.22pm EDT 12:22

Jon Stead takes his medal, finds his cut-out of Jordan Sinnott, who was killed so tragically, and poses for a photo, tears in his eyes. My eyeballs might be sweating.

12.18pm EDT 12:18

He goes on to say they do a lot of work on shape, and have tightened up at the back. If you have “honest runners”, he says, you can afford to leave two players up the pitch, and 4-4-2 suits his players, who have pace, aggression and attacking intent.

12.15pm EDT 12:15

“Ecstatic … it hasn’t really penetrated my brain yet,” says Simon Weaver. He goes on to praise “a group of honest lads”, and says that a lot has changed in the 11 years he’s been at the club, and going full-time gave them the impetus to do what they’ve done.

12.11pm EDT 12:11

It’s now Celtic 2-1 Hamilton Academical. Rob Smyth has the latest.

Celtic v Hamilton: Scottish Premiership – live!

12.09pm EDT 12:09

As for Notts, they’re in a much better position than previously. They’ll be bullish about sorting things next season, and with decent reason. A little more quality and variety in their passing, and they’ll go close.

12.06pm EDT 12:06

Seriously. Sweet Caroline is back on. The influence of Daryl Gurney knows no bounds.

12.04pm EDT 12:04

Falkingham does a little shuffle-turn, Jordan Henderson-style, and gives his lift some absolute welly. He can barely believe what he’s accomplished.

12.03pm EDT 12:03

The players fish medals out of a tray, while the Notts players and manager stand there applauding #classytouch #oldskool

Updated at 12.05pm EDT

12.01pm EDT 12:01

He goes on to say that Town ought to have finished the game in the first half, but when they didn’t and Notts scored, their ability to manage the game allowed them to hang in there and strike back.

12.00pm EDT 12:00

Falkingham, the Town captain, struggles to find words. “It’s an emotional time,” he says. “We’re a bunch of lads that have been hungry … we’ve never played in the Football League, the majority of us … we’ve been building for this journey, it’s an amazing achievement … amazing feeling … och!”

11.59am EDT 11:59

Notts huddle, and Ardley debriefs them, while Town jump about to the now obligatory Sweet Caroline. AI heard a rumour that there are other songs, but it might be wrong.

11.58am EDT 11:58

“I bet Bill Fotherby is lighting another cigar somewhere with a big grin on his face,” says Brian Hamilton. “His clubs have had a great season.”

They really have.

11.57am EDT 11:57

Diamond says they planned to create chances and try to finish the game early. Town knew Notts would come back at them, and were ready to hold it down; he’s now looking forward to an early night.

11.56am EDT 11:56

Full-time: Harrogate Town 3-1 Notts County Harrogate Town are promoted to the Football League after 106 years!

What a performance! They flew at Notts from the off, handled a brief period of adversity, and were still looking for more in the sixth minute of injury time. Simon Weaver is now the longest-serving manager in the top our divisions of the Football League!

Harrogate Town players celebrate after the final whistle. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

Updated at 12.00pm EDT

11.53am EDT 11:53

90+4 min Town are still at it! They get the ball into Stead, moving inside onto his right foot, and he punches a curler … against the base of the post! What a performance this has been from Harrogate.

11.52am EDT 11:52

90+4 min Elsewhere, Odsonne Edouard has given Celtic the lead against Hamilton. You can follow that here.

Celtic v Hamilton: Scottish Premiership – live!

11.51am EDT 11:51

90+2 min Sky give Diamond man of the match on account of “an important goal at an important time,” but I’d say that the match was won in the first half-hour, so would probably go for Thomson, who scored one and made one.

11.50am EDT 11:50

90+1 min “Buzzing for Harrogate Town being in the Football League,” says Ben Machell on Twitter. “Opposition firms trying to take Betty’s. Fruity divorced mums in white Land Rover Evoques with “WELCOME TO HELL” banners. Shirtless Gareth Southgate letting off pyro by the cenotaph. Yes.”

11.49am EDT 11:49

90 min There we go, a minimum of five added minutes. Harrogate Town are going to play in the Football League!

11.49am EDT 11:49

90 min What an achievement this is going to be. Town have come from nowhere, and they’ve put in a serious turning up this afternoon. They started at pace, maintained it, and save 15 minutes at the start of the second half, have looked a level above their opponents.

11.47am EDT 11:47

89 min Beck finds Diamond, who larrups a shot from distance straight at Slocombe.

11.46am EDT 11:46

87 min A change apiece: Town send Beck on for Muldoon, who looks like he’s spent the afternoon offering out the sun, while Notts replace Brindley with Kelly-Evans.

11.45am EDT 11:45

86 min Notts try to dig, but there’s nothing there. Town win the ball back and knock it about confidently, consuming time but threatening too.

11.42am EDT 11:42

83 min “Harrogate (‘arra gut’) posh?” incandesces Ian. “It’s known amongst the Yorkshire cognoscenti as being all fur coit and no knickers!”

Updated at 11.43am EDT

11.39am EDT 11:39

80 min This game is part of the 2019-20 season, while in Scotland, we’re already playing 2020-21. Bonkers.

11.37am EDT 11:37

78 min “Massive day for Harrogate AFC,” tweets Michael Kilpatrick. “Founded in 1914 and never been in the League.”

If they get there, they’ll have earned absolutely all of it.

11.37am EDT 11:37

76 min We should note what a good change Town made, bringing on Stead. His experience and composure created what looks to be the clinching goal, BUT HERE COME COUNTY! They get the ball wide and Brindley hits the line, cutting back for Thomas, and it looks for all the world like he’s going to despatch a livener, but Belshaw parries his shot away and then Falkingham does brilliantly to stick absolutely all of him in the way of Doyle’s follow-up.

11.34am EDT 11:34

75 min “Will Harrogate be the poshest town to have hosted League football?” wonders my colleague Tom Davies on Twitter. “(Certainly felt the poshest I’d visited as an O’s fan a couple of years back).”

I can’t think of any others.

11.33am EDT 11:33

74 min Notts know the jig is up, and Town are dictating now. They had a little rough patch, but they’re back to looking by far the better team, and there’s Thomson smacking a shot into Slocombe’s midriff.

11.32am EDT 11:32

72 min On the touchline, Ardley was fuming, and well he might be. His team were good for 15 minutes, but that’s rarely enough to win a cup final, and his defenders have really let him down today.

11.31am EDT 11:31

WHAT A GOAL! Harrogate Town 3-1 Notts County (Diamond 70)

Stead does brilliantly, holding up, weaving by a challenge, and sticking the ball in behind, for Muldoon down the right. He crosses low, and there’s Diamond, haring onto it ahead of Brindley, who passes him on, to flick into the far corner! Town are going up!

Jack Diamond of Harrogate Town scores his teams third goal. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Updated at 11.33am EDT

11.26am EDT 11:26

67 min Have Town ridden it out? They’re starting to take control again, but as long as their lead stays at one goal, they will feel extremely vulnerable.

11.25am EDT 11:25

66 min And they nearly do now! Thomson finds the ubiquitous Fallowfield, who crosses low as he continues his run, and when Turner cuts it out, the ball drops to Thomson, who lashes wide.

Updated at 11.25am EDT

11.24am EDT 11:24

64 min “That is such an awful kit!” emails Paulo Biriani. “County should be playing in their famous colours. What is going on in the world? Harrogate played Pompey in the cup this year and they gave us a mighty scare. They are a very good side. County will do well to beat them.”

What is going on in the world? I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that one, but yes, even though Notts are on top now, Town look a better side, and I’d not be shocked if they scored a third.

11.21am EDT 11:21

63 min Diamond cruises down the right and crosses, but his ball is behind Stead. Town have created near enough nothing in the second half.

11.21am EDT 11:21

61 min Stead replaces Martin. His tattoos appear to be fashionably distressed.

Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters

11.18am EDT 11:18

58 min Nice from Thomas, spinning Hall, who has a couple of hacks and connects with the second. He’s booked, and Notts have another free-kick in a position not dissimilar to the one from which Roberts scored. He’s a little further out this time, and pumps a shot well over the bar. I’d expect Town to change something, and soon.

11.16am EDT 11:16

57 min Ardley did his job at half-time. His players have been very good since then, and there’s Baldwin picking up a loose ball after Wooton challenges well, lamping a shot just wide. Town need to have a think, because the momentum of the game has changed.

11.15am EDT 11:15

55 min And now here come Notts, Roberts taking the ball across the face of the box and absolutely lashing a riser that swings just wide of the near post. That was a great strike, and looked to all the world like the equaliser.

11.14am EDT 11:14

55 min Fallowfield, who had a fine first half, finds himself in space outside the box and weaves around two challenges before Rose unloads him.

11.12am EDT 11:12

52 min Nice from Notts, Rose playing a ball for Thomas down the right; his cross is cleared.

11.11am EDT 11:11

52 min A quiet period, but Town have lost their intensity. It’s going to be a long old half for them, if they can’t relocate it.

11.09am EDT 11:09

50 min Boldewijn finds some space down the left, but runs out of pitch. Notts will be looking to get him on the ball at every opportunity.

11.06am EDT 11:06

GOAL! Harrogate Town 2-1 Notts County (Roberts 46)

This is a great finish! Roberts, who was soo good in the semi, punches a curler into the far side-netting, Belshaw taking a step left only for the ball to go left! We got ourselves a ball-game!