Plymouth Argyle won the match 1–0 thanks to a headed goal from Ronnie Mauge to gain promotion back to the third tier of English football one season after being relegated.

[13][14] Plymouth Argyle manager Neil Warnock picked ten players who had started both of the club's semi-final matches, with Ronnie Mauge keeping his place in the team having replaced Chris Billy for the second leg.

[18] Darlington were the first to settle with Gary Bannister a prominent player in midfield, but Plymouth Argyle eventually found their rhythm and had the first real goalscoring opportunity after ten minutes.

Darlington's main threat was coming from attacking full back Appleby and he had their best chance of the match midway through the first half.

He carved out the initial chance, having carried the ball half the length of the pitch, but team-mate Steven Gaughan was unable to convert.

[19] Plymouth Argyle came close to making their opponents pay for their profligacy in front of goal with Evans lifting a volley over the crossbar.

[1] Darlington's captain Andy Crosby was proving to be a formidable figure at the heart of his team's defence, but Argyle fashioned another chance to open the scoring just before half-time.

[20] There were few clear-cut chances at the start of the second half, but Plymouth Argyle were winning the midfield battle with Mauge and Chris Leadbitter leading by example with a number of forceful tackles.

[20] As Darlington committed more players forward in search of an equaliser they left themselves exposed in defence which gave the leading side more space to launch counter-attacks.

Evans and Littlejohn threatened to score the decisive second goal, but in the end Mauge's headed finish midway through the second half proved to be enough to claim the final promotion place for the team from Devon.

[22] Match rules: After the final whistle Plymouth Argyle's captain Mick Heathcote received the winners' trophy before parading it in front of the club's supporters on the pitch.