BRISTOL Rovers boss Darrell Clarke is targeting back-to-back promotions after a goal from Newport’s Ellis Harrison helped secure Wembley glory on Sunday.

Rovers became the first side in a decade to return to the Football League at the first attempt after seeing off the challenge of Grimsby Town to claim victory in the Vanarama Conference promotion final.

Harrison put the Pirates back on level terms after 29 minutes with his 14th goal of the season following Lenell John-Lewis’ second-minute opener for Grimsby.

And, with the sides still locked at 1-1 after extra-time, Rovers’ Lee Mansell held his nerve to stroke home the decisive penalty to win a nail-biting shootout.

Clarke, who sprinted 60 yards across the pitch to celebrate with the Rovers supporters amongst a record-breaking crowd of close to 50,000, said: “I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“The disappointment of getting relegated last season was massively upsetting for everyone associated with the club.

“Trying to get Bristol Rovers back into the league has taken over my life. Football is the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. I was really hurting last summer.

“We have had to rebuild a club that had hit rock-bottom and winning this game is a reward for all of the hard work everybody has put in.

“We have deserved it over a season,” he told the Bristol Evening Post.

“We finished second in the league and we only missed out by a point. The table doesn't lie.

“I don't want to disrespect this league but we didn't want to be here any longer than we had to because with our fan-base I believe we can really kick on.

“To come back at the first time of asking is tough,” he added. “It very rarely happens because this is a tough league.

“We are just delighted that we have managed to do it and now I am ready to build a squad that is good enough to get out of League Two. I will not be happy to consolidate next year.”

The Mariners had Christian Jolley on the bench – two years after he scored the opening goal at Wembley to help Newport County AFC to promotion – but he was an unused substitute.