Carlos Mendes Gomes, the former Atletico Madrid youth player who joined Morecambe after a two-year spell in the sixth tier of non-League, converted a contentious penalty against Newport County at Wembley to earn a 1-0 win in extra time that sent the club into the third tier for the first time in their 101-year history. Having missed out on automatic promotion on the final day, victory capped a remarkable transformation for the club with the smallest budget in the Football League. They were bottom of the league when Derek Adams took charge 18 months ago. The decisive moment was provided by Mendes Gomes, 22, after John O’Sullivan was adjudged to have been pushed by Ryan Haynes. The midfielder held his nerve to beat Tom King,

Source: The Times June 01, 2021 00:33 UTC