By Richard Garnett at Wembley Stadium

Forest Green Rovers............3

Tranmere Rovers..................1

Tranmere will have to wait another year at least to return to the Football League after their Wembley promotion dream was shattered by Forest Green Rovers.

Kaiyne Woolery gave Mark Cooper’s side the lead early on, before Connor Jennings pulled the Whites level with a 25-yard screamer.

But the Green Army netted twice in five minutes before the break through Christian Doidge and Woolery again, leaving Rovers with a mountain to climb in the second half.

And with no goals in the second half, it is the team from the Cotswolds – not Birkenhead – who will play in League Two next season.

With James Wallace suffering a knee injury against Aldershot in the semi-final second leg, Andy Mangan was handed a start, pushing Jennings deeper into midfield.

That meant there was a place on the bench for youngster Evan Gumbs – the only defence cover available to Micky Mellon.

A flick on from Maynard got Cole Stockton in behind the Forest Green defence but his cross was too high for James Norwood.

The Green Rovers won a free kick on the edge of the box in a dangerous position but Liam Noble could only stick it high over Scott Davies’ crossbar.

But the Gloucestershire side took the lead in the 10th minute when Tranmere backed off Woolery and he cut inside before bending a low 25-yard strike past Davies into the bottom corner of the net.

With the Whites stunned, Doidge headed a huge throw-in from Mark Ellis over the bar a few minutes later.

But having made little headway in the opening 20 minutes that all changed when Lois Maynard tee’d up Jennings just outside the box before the midfielder took one touch before rocketing a 25-yard thunderbolt that almost burst the net.

Jennings sprinted away in ecstasy, quickly followed by his jubilant teammates who celebrated in front of the travelling Super White Army.

That goal settled Mellon’s men down and allowed the Birkenhead side to start to control the match.

The Whites should have lead just past the half hour mark when a disastrous header by a Forest Green defender put Norwood clean through on goal but his shot was saved by the legs of Sam Russell.

But with less than 10 minutes to go before the break, Keanu Marsh-Brown looked to have scored when he lifted the ball over Davies, only for the Tranmere goalkeeper to recover spectacularly, leaping backwards to claw the ball off the line.

Jennings then turned provider at the other end with a square ball across the face of the goal that was just beyond the outstretched foot of Mangan.

Five minutes before the break however, the Greens retook the lead. Breaking down field, Doidge collected the ball and evaded the attentions of Steve McNulty before firing a rocket past Davies.

And a minute before the interval that lead was extended when an error by Liam Ridehalgh gifted the ball to Woolery, who made no mistake, converting calmly past the stricken Tranmere goalkeeper.

At half time there were looks of despair on the faces of Tranmere supporters, fearful at half time that their dream of a return to the Football League was about to be crushed.

After the break, direct run from Emmanuel Monthe ended when the centre back pulled his shot well wide of Davies’ goal.

The Whites almost pulled one back when Cole Stockton got his head on a Jeff Hughes corner from close range, but Russell made a brilliant reaction save.

The Forest Green ‘keeper offered some counter-balance to his previous brilliance by making a hash of a Cruyff turn in his own penalty area, gifting the ball to Stockton, but with the goal at his mercy he could only stick it wastefully over the bar from 18 yards.

Mellon brought on Jack Dunn for Mangan and the Liverpool loanee got straight into the action, cannoning a blistering 30-yard effort inches wide of the post.

More good work from Dunn saw the winger cross for Stockton who glanced a header just wide of the goal.

Liam Noble pulled an effort wide for the leaders before his attempted clever free kick was easily read and cut out by Michael Ihiekwe.

A mistake by McNulty almost let Woolery in for his hat-trick but Buxton came to his rescue with a last ditched clearance.

The Whites continued to toil for goals, with Hughes pulling a shot wide from 20 yards.

With time running out, Tranmere started to launch high balls into the penalty area but with little success.

Three minutes from time Dunn drifted past Dan Wishart but could only stick his shot well over the bar.

Ridehalgh ballooned a volley over in stoppage time and that pretty much summed up Rovers’ afternoon.

Defeat is a bitter pill to swallow for a team that finished the season in second place on 95 points, but the stark reality is that Tranmere were unable to deliver a performance worthy of such an occasion when it really mattered.

Mellon’s men must now take stock of this low point, regroup and go again next season. It will be a long summer.

Match stats

Forest Green Rovers 3 Woolery 10, 44 Doidge 41

Tranmere Rovers 1 C Jennings 22

Half time: 3-1

Star man: Jack Dunn (Tranmere midfielder)

Attendance: 18,801

Entertainment: 4/5 Ref rating:

Anthony Backhouse (5/10)

Forest Green (4-3-3): Russell 8, Monthe 8, Traore 7, Ellis 7, Bennett 6, Marsh-Brown 8 (Wishart 61, 6), Doidge 9 (Mullings 76, 6), Woolery 9, Noble 7, Pinnock 6, Cooper 6

Subs not used: Tilt, Wedgbury, Bugiel,

Tranmere (4-3-3): Davies 8; Buxton 6, McNulty 5, Ihiekwe 6, Ridehalgh 5; Hughes 5, C Jennings 8 (Cook 61, 5), Maynard 7; Mangan 6 (Dunn 53, 8), Stockton 6, Norwood 5.

Subs not used: Turner, Gumbs, Collins