Southend beat Forest Green on penalties to reach National League play-off final

Southend booked a place in the National League play-off final against Oldham at Wembley after beating Forest Green 4-2 on penalties.

The Shrimpers’ Jack Bridge swept home four minutes from the end to cancel out Emmanuel Osadebe’s extra-time header to make it 2-2 and force the shoot-out, with Gus Scott-Morris scoring the spot-kick which secured victory.

Osadebe had come off the bench just before the match finished 1-1 in regulation time but within four minutes of the restart headed down Liam Sercombe’s cross to the far post.

A relatively uneventful first half saw Southend’s Keenan Appiah-Forson hit the crossbar from the edge of the area but it was not until the 54th minute that the deadlock was broken when team-mate Ben Goodliffe’s header looped over the goalkeeper at the near post.

But the lead lasted just eight minutes as Kyle McAllister’s cross was nodded in by Ryan Innis to take the game to extra time.