steven schumacher said promotion would mean everything as Bolton Wanderers prepare for Sunday’s League One play-off final at Wembley. Bolton are 90 minutes from a Championship return for the first time in seven years, and Schumacher has put that target at the centre of the club’s season.
"It will mean everything, it really will," he said. "It's been the objective since I came to the club, to try and get into the Championship, so it's going to mean so much."
Bolton meet Stockport County
Bolton will face Stockport County in a final that kicks off at 1 o'clock. Stockport finished the regular season two points and two places above Bolton, so the gap between the teams was narrow before the knockout rounds even began.
Bolton reached Wembley by beating Bradford City 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Schumacher said his side has earned the right to be there after a season that now ends with one match for promotion.
Toal misses Wembley final
There is a setback for Bolton before the final. Captain Eoin Toal is ruled out with a hamstring injury suffered in the second leg of the semi-final win at Bradford.
Josh Sheehan will be the only survivor from Bolton’s starting line-up in the 2-0 loss to Oxford United in the Wembley final two years ago. Ruben Rodrigues was on the winning side for Oxford that day, adding another layer of familiarity to a squad returning to the same ground with a different prize on the line.
Wembley for Bolton fans
Bolton are playing in their third play-off campaign in four seasons, and close to 30,000 fans could travel for the final. Schumacher said the Bank Holiday weekend and train disruption could make the journey harder for supporters, but he also said the club appreciates the backing.
"It's a Sunday, early kick-off at one o'clock, not easy to get to on a Bank Holiday weekend with train disruption all over the place, so for people travelling down we really appreciate it and we're going to do our best," he said. For a club that helped form the English Football League in 1888, Sunday is about one result and one return.
