Substitute Jordan Maguire-Drew’s extra time winner sent Grimsby straight back up to League Two with a 2-1 victory over Solihull Moors in the National League play-off final.
Kyle Hudlin’s header gave the Moors the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Top scorer John McAtee hit back for the Mariners to level the score and send the match to extra time.
Maguire-Drew’s finish from a trademark long throw-in completed the turnaround with nine minutes remaining.
Promotion takes Grimsby back to the Football League following one season in English football’s fifth tier.
The Lincolnshire side had the better of the first half and had two penalty appeals waved away, firstly after Jordan Cropper went down under a challenge from Callum Maycock.
Their second came as McAtee was caught late by Solihull captain Kyle Storer but again play was waved on with no VAR in use.
Solihull’s goal came against the run of play as Joe Sbarra’s hung-up cross was headed into the net by 6ft 9ins striker Hudlin.
Grimsby pushed for the equaliser and were level on 69 minutes as McAtee latched on to Andy Smith’s pinpoint through ball to coolly roll his 16th goal of the season inside the post.
Both teams went in search of a winner at the London Stadium but it was the Lincolnshire side who made the crucial breakthrough as Andrew Dallas failed to deal with Cropper’s long throw into the box, with Maguire-Drew turning in at the back post.
Comeback kings Grimsby fight back again
Grimsby’s journey back to the EFL has been anything but simple, needing extra time to win all three of their play-off matches.
Gavan Holohan’s 96th-minute equaliser saved the plucky Mariners from defeat to Notts County in their eliminator match, before super sub Mani Dieseruvwe came on score in the winner in the 119th minute to set up a semi-final against Wrexham.
The sides played out an all-time National League classic at the Racecourse, where the lead changed hands eight times before Jordan Davies’ 80th-minute leveller sent the game to extra time with the score 4-4.
Luke Waterfall was the match-winner on that occasion, again in the 119th minute.
It did not look like it was going to be Grimsby’s day in London when Hudlin climbed above Danny Amos to give Solihull the lead – after the Mariners had had numerous opportunities to score, as well as a decent claim for a penalty.
But once again they rose like a phoenix from the ashes to climb back up to League Two at the first time of asking.
