CARLISLE United's 2022/23 top scorer Kristian Dennis has reflected on the Blues' dramatic penalty shootout victory against Stockport County in the League Two playoff final.

Dennis, who scored 21 goals for Carlisle, came on as a second-half substitute in the Wembley final as Paul Simpson went all guns blazing in search of an equaliser. 

As a sub, Dennis made an immediate impact as Carlisle roared into life and took control of the closing stages of the final, almost scoring a winning header at the death and confidently dispatching his spot-kick in the shootout.

After the game, the prolific forward attempted to sum up his emotions and revealed that Carlisle had been sharpening their penalty skills throughout their playoff run. 

"If you had to pick how to win a game, a penalty shootout at Wembley, I don’t think you could pick anything better," he said. 

"To score all of the spot kicks as well, we have practiced for weeks now and that practice has come good.

"If it came to that we were so prepared.”

Omari Patrick etched his name in Carlisle history in the 84th minute when he slammed home the equaliser for the Blues, sending the Carlisle end of Wembley into raptures.

In the minutes following, Simmo's side has Stockport on the ropes with a winner looking inevitable and in Dennis's words, there was only one option after the leveler: attack.

He said: "No one plans to go 1-0 down do they but I just think once we had so many attacking players on towards the end the only thing we could do was attack and luckily it fell to Omari [Patrick] and it was a great finish and sent us to extra-time."

Dennis himself had a huge opportunity to net the winner, forcing a heart-stopping save out of Stockport's Ben Hinchliffe with his glancing near post head from an Owen Moxon corner, and he admitted that he was preparing for the net to bulge.

"I thought when I headed it from the corner, I thought, that’s in, top's coming off here, but it was a brilliant save from the keeper," he said. 

Dennis' historic winner was not to be and extra time and penalties followed. 

This was it, Carlisle were on the precipice of greatness and it was their top scorer that stepped up first, making the long walk to the Stockport end at the beginning of the shootout.

Carlisle nerves in Wembley were palpable. However, for Dennis, there was only ever going to be one outcome. 

"As soon as I heard the boos I was like, at the end of the day, it is a penalty," he said.

"I think of it as a free goal. I have missed some but it’s a shot from 12-yards against a keeper and I back myself 100 times out of 100 to score it, and thankfully, I did a little stutter, saw his weight going one way and I thought, happy days, it’s in."

Winning promotion at Wembley is the holy grail for EFL players and the Carlisle euphoria was easy to see, but for Dennis, the lad who was born and bred in Stockport and used to play for the Hatters, there was a slight sadness.

He said: "Anyone but Stockport. I have seen what the club have been through since when I was there and it is only good people, only good things to say about the club and I hope they go up automatically next year.”