Bolton Wanderers will play Stockport County at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon with promotion to the Sky Bet Championship on the line. The League One play-off final kicks off at 1pm, and for Bolton the prize is a return to the second tier for the first time in seven years.
Bolton reached Wembley after a 2-0 aggregate victory over Bradford City in the semi-finals, sealed when Xavier Simons scored in the second half at Valley Parade in a 1-0 win. Stockport booked their place with a 3-0 aggregate triumph over Stevenage, following a 2-0 home win at Edgeley Park thanks to first-half goals from Louie Barry and Kyle Wootton. Bolton are expected to be backed by more than 28,000 supporters at Wembley, a surge of noise that could matter in a match that will settle everything in a single game.
The final brings together sides separated by only two points and two places in the table, a margin that underlines how little has divided them across the season. Their last meeting ended 2-2 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in April, when Johnny Kenny put Bolton ahead in the 38th minute before Ben Osborn’s late own goal rescued a point for Stockport. That earlier draw offered a glimpse of how tight the contest may be again, but Saturday’s build-up has left no room for caution. There is no second leg, no safety net and no chance to recover from a slow start.
Steven Schumacher said Bolton want to get themselves into the Championship and described the final as the chance to complete the objective that has shaped the season. He said the team is 90 minutes away from potentially achieving what they set out to do, and stressed that the squad believes it has enough quality if it performs well and stays together. Schumacher also praised the travelling support, pointing out that a Sunday, early kick-off is not easy for fans on a Bank Holiday weekend with train disruption in place, and said the club appreciated those making the trip.
On the other side, Dave Challinor made clear that Stockport are not going to Wembley to take part. He said it is the biggest and hardest step, but also an opportunity, and added that his side are going there to win. He acknowledged the work that has already brought Stockport this far, while warning that anything short of promotion would still leave a feeling of disappointment. That is the pressure that comes with a one-off final: one of these clubs will end the afternoon celebrating a season’s work, and the other will walk away knowing how close it came.
