Newcastle United scored twice in the first half to reach the Division 2 promotion play-off final with a 2-0 semi-final win over Fulham at St James' Park.
The Magpies, who finished four points and one place above the Cottagers in the final table, took a sixth-minute lead through Jamie Holmes before Stuart Findlay headed in the second from a 35th-minute corner.
Newcastle, with first-team manager Rafael Benitez watching on, had to weather considerable Fulham pressure in the second half but goalkeeper Matz Sels preserved their lead with saves from Elijah Adebayo and George Williams, who had another effort cleared off the line.
After the jubilation of yesterday, @rafabenitezweb is back at St. James' Park tonight to watch the club's under-23 side in action. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/5OZu22tXF1
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 8, 2017
The Magpies will now host West Ham United in the final after their late 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the other semi-final.
See: Newcastle report | Fulham report
