Louie Barry scored the opening goal as Stockport County beat Stevenage 2-0 on Wednesday to secure a 3-0 aggregate victory and book a return to Wembley next weekend.
The 22-year-old said the moment felt unbelievable after he put Stockport in front in the League One play-off semi-final second leg, adding that it meant a lot to him because he had scored important goals in league matches before but never in the play-offs. Barry's strike helped finish off a tie that had been tense from the start and sent Stockport back to Wembley for a second time this season.
That return carries extra weight for Barry, who featured in Stockport's Vertu Trophy final loss to Luton Town at Wembley just a month ago. This time, though, the feeling was different. He said the goal he scored against Stevenage was something he had never experienced before, and the finish turned a close contest into a decisive night for a club chasing promotion.
Barry's path to this point has been anything but direct. He joined Barcelona when he was 16 and made 10 youth-team appearances before returning to England, where Aston Villa paid a 1m Euro fee, about £880,000 at the time, to bring him back. He later scored for Villa against Liverpool in the FA Cup third round in January 2021, but the years that followed were spent moving from club to club on loan. Ipswich Town, Swindon Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Salford City, Hull City and Sheffield United all had him for spells before this third loan with Stockport.
That history makes Wednesday's goal feel like more than a single finish. It was a reminder of the talent that has followed Barry through a nomadic career and of the way Stockport have leaned on him at the sharp end of the season. Mark Harrison said the result sends a powerful message about the ambition of the club, and the facts back that up: Stockport are heading to Wembley again, with Barry under contract to Aston Villa until 2028 and still capable of shaping a season from the most familiar stage in English football.
The question now is whether Stockport can turn a night that started with Barry's opener into something bigger at Wembley, where another chance is waiting next weekend.
