Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers meet in bolton vs stockport with promotion to the Championship at stake. For Stockport, it is one match from ending almost a quarter of a century outside the second tier, while Bolton are trying to get back there for the first time since 2019.
Dave Challinor's Wembley run
Dave Challinor arrives at his fifth Wembley visit as a manager with a record built on promotions. He has managed Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool United and Stockport across 16 seasons, finished outside the play-off places only once, and has won seven promotions and four league titles.
That background sits behind his own reaction to the occasion. “If you'd have told me when I was player-manager at Colwyn Bay and managing in a regional division that I'd be in a play-off final and fifth visit to Wembley as a manager playing for a massive prize, absolutely never would I have thought that would be the case.”
Bolton's route back
Bolton's path has been longer and rougher. They last played in the Championship in 2019, went to the wall that year and almost went out of business, and their 2019-20 campaign was affected by a protracted takeover process before they returned to League One at the first attempt in 2020-21.
The club then kept pushing toward a return. Bolton reached the play-off semi-finals in 2022-23 under Ian Evatt, lost 2-0 to Oxford in the 2023-24 final at Wembley, and brought in Steven Schumacher in January 2025 after Evatt's exit to try to restore glory.
Results between the sides
Stockport have already landed two useful results against Bolton this season. They won 2-0 at the start of the campaign and drew 2-2 in their most recent meeting in April.
George Johnston said the feeling inside the Bolton camp is different for this Wembley trip. “It almost felt like [before] 'right, that job's done, on to the next job'.” But this time it's “definitely half-job done and we're fully focused on the next game and to really celebrate once we do get the win.”
For Stockport, the stakes carry an added personal edge. Challinor played for the club when they were relegated from the second tier in 2002, and it has been 24 years since he last experienced second-tier football with them. One of these clubs walks out of Wembley with a Championship place and a long wait over.
