Only Dartford stand in the way of Mark Molesley’s Weymouth and their bid to complete back-to-back promotions following a pulsating Vanarama National South play-off semi-final thanks to Yemi Odubade’s late strike.

It was a pity only a handful of spectators got to see this gripping tie and the implications of the result that now mean Weymouth are just 90 minutes away from ending their 11-year hiatus from non-league’s top flight when they do battle with the Darts -who earlier ended the promotion hopes of big hitters Havant & Waterlooville - this Saturday back at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

Afterwards Molesley admitted the game had been “an emotional rollercoaster” and that the Terras were unable to get their free-flowing possession game going; hardly surprising when you consider the four and a half month lay-off in anticipation of this huge encounter for the club as a whole.

He said: “It wasn’t the best looking game I’ve seen from Weymouth but we’ve gone straight into a semi-final which is always going to be peculiar, but full marks for kicking into competitive form. Our game plan worked well, we went 2-0 up but that’s a precarious scoreline and we were wondering if we should stick or twist. Without a bank of games behind us we were still feeling our way in and we usually enjoy a bit more possession but we were happy with the way things were going. Out of possession I felt we were very strong and we could hurt them on the transitions.”

That certainly proved to be the case when the hosts surged 2-0 ahead inside the first 11 minutes when Jaidon Anthony took advantage of a quick turnaround in possession to net with a clever finish having gone ahead as early as the 2nd minute through a Josh McQuoid penalty.

But having controlled the first half Dorking proved a tougher nut to crack after the break and they looked to have sent the game to a likely penalty shoot-out with a late double. However, exactly like Abdulai Baggie had done to Wanderers back in January, Odubade charged down an attempted hooked clearance in the fifth minute of added time to leave the visitors deflated.

Molesley continued by describing the never-say-die attitude of his charges: “2-0 is psychologically hard scoreline to manage as the next goal was always going to be big. We were protecting a lead and to get pegged back, well it’s hard find that momentum again. But credit to the boys, they never know when they are beaten - the character of this side means they never give up and they always score late goals."

Molesley praised Odubade after the veteran’s stoppage-time strike fired Weymouth into the play-offs final.

Substitute Odubade, one of the few veterans in the Terras’ largely youthful ranks, sealed a dramatic win for the home side on Saturday, leaving boss Molesley full of praise for the 36-year-old Nigerian.

After grabbing the winner just 12 minutes after coming off the bench, Molesley said: “Yemi is a great character for us on and off the pitch and he’s had some vital moments for us. It just shows how important how subs were to be today. As usual he was in the right place at the right time.

“Overall we got the game done in a not vintage Weymouth fashion but we showed that grit, desire and determination.the average age out there was under-24 today but our youthful squad played mature beyond their years.”