Bristol Rovers 3 Shrewsbury 1: Walker completes Rovers' joyous run

At the end of the season before this pulsating play-off finally divided them, these two wonderfully competitive League Two teams were only a point apart. Yesterday, they graced a new stage with everything that it could expect. Rovers were by a shade the better team, but it was a shared occasion. Those who say that Wembley, either in its crumbling past or pristine present, should be reserved for matches that involve only the elite of the game, would deny us days like this.

Back in March, the followers of Rovers would not have had much hope of being part of the new Wembley experience. A defeat by Boston had left them in 16th place, but 11 League games without defeat and five wins in their last five changed disillusion to dreams. With Shrewsbury having recovered from what seemed like an inevitable return to the Conference in 2006, they, too, were a little taken aback at being involved in this experience, which regular right-back Luke Jones had to forfeit when injured in the warm-up and was replaced by Ben Herd.

Related articles

• Championship Play-Off Final: The Mowbray method - softly, softly
• Pitch may hold key to promotion battle
• League One Play-Off Final: The rock of Blackpool
• Search the news archive for more stories

They were quick to overcome that setback because not four minutes had past when they were given a free kick right-side on the fringe of the penalty area. Neil Ashton drifted it towards goal and Stewart Drummond rose to head over defenders and goalkeeper to ensure that there would be no repeat of the previous week's tentative, frustrating non-event: the Cup final.

Shrewsbury's far-out numbered fans took up the cause, throwing their voices behind new waves of attack that had Rovers disturbed in defence and unable to take much control in midfield until after 20 minutes when they conjured a splendid move. Craig Disley played the ball down the left-side, Ryan Green clipped in a low cross towards the near post and Richard Walker managed to beat Chris MacKenzie with a shot cleverly turned in at a tight angle.

Despite their equalising goal, Rovers continued to be pressed back and needed to look for breakaways. One came in the 35th minute when Chris Carruthers offered a long pass down the left-side for Walker to collect, control and beautifully lift his shot over the head of MacKenzie to see the ball drop true and purposefully for the second goal.

By then there had been sufficient hints that Rovers had the smallest of advantages in the way they moved the ball neatly through the whole of their ranks, but this was far from suggesting Shrewsbury were struggling. The marginal difference in the League form of these two totally committed teams was manifest here, and such was the intensity of their rivalry that it was rare to be able to single out an individual. However, in the second half, particularly, Shrewsbury's right-winger Derek Asamoah had some sparkling moments as the lights lifted a leadened sky.

Rovers' 40,000 fans were far from confident, and rightly so. Asamoah continued to pierce their team's defence with his speed and deft ball control. He was also quick to move inside. At one point he penetrated deep into Rovers' penalty area to meet a cross from Marc Tierney, but his hastily taken shot was blocked by the legs of Steve Phillips in the Rovers' goal.

Tierney's frustration at seeing his work come to nothing emerged when he crudely fouled Rovers' captain Stuart Campbell, leaving the referee no choice but to show him the red card.

As the game entered the five minutes that were given as added time, Shrewsbury risked everything. Awarded a corner, even their goalkeeper went up field. It seemed a risk worth taking but it proved temptation too far. As the corner came over Rovers took possession and played the ball out to Sammy Igoe who ran two thirds of the length of the pitch and slotted the ball into a barren goal to leave Shrewsbury with empty hearts.

"I think in the end the season caught up with us," their manager Gary Peters said, "but if we had Walker on our side it might have been different." Walker is out of contract with Rovers but their manager, Paul Trollope, said: "We'll do everything we can to hold on to him." For the moment, though, Trollope is simply proud that another Bristol club has got promotion this season, City having already reached the Championship.