{"id":198571,"date":"2026-05-15T03:26:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T03:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/05\/15\/dangerous-bolton-come-full-circle-for-play-off-final\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T03:26:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T03:26:50","slug":"dangerous-bolton-come-full-circle-for-play-off-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/05\/15\/dangerous-bolton-come-full-circle-for-play-off-final\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Dangerous’ Bolton come full circle for play-off final"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

On 3 August 2025 it all began.<\/b><\/p>\n

On 24 May 2026 it will end.<\/p>\n

Stockport kicked off their 2025-26 campaign with a 2-0 win at home against Bolton Wanderers.<\/p>\n

And the same fixture brings the curtain down on each club’s campaigns as they contest the League One play-off final, with both vying for a spot in the Championship having had near misses with promotions in recent seasons.<\/p>\n

Bolton set up their place in that final by beating Bradford over two legs, but they have not overcome Stockport this season.<\/p>\n

Following their opening day defeat at Edgeley Park, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Dave Challinor’s side at home last month, with the Hatters taking this season’s bragging rights into the trip to Wembley.<\/p>\n

“Every time we’ve played them it’s close and always tight. They’ve got some good players but we’re looking forward to it,” Bolton boss Steven Schumacher told BBC Radio Manchester.<\/p>\n

“We know what’s at stake and we have to be prepared as best we possibly can.”<\/p>\n

Xavier Simons, who scored the goal that clinched the second leg for Bolton on Thursday at Valley Parade, is less diplomatic about their prospects.<\/p>\n

“It’s not easy,” he said. “We know when we’re at it, we are a very dangerous team, a team that can win games and that’s what we’re going to do.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In 2019 Bolton were not just relegated out of the Championship, but their very existence looked in doubt.<\/p>\n

A takeover went through later that summer but the damage of an interrupted season had already taken hold and a second successive relegation in a Covid-interrupted campaign followed.<\/p>\n

And then came the rebuild.<\/p>\n

Ian Evatt led them back to the third tier and a pathway to the second could have followed in 2024, having narrowly missed out on automatic promotion to the Championship.<\/p>\n

The League One play-off final beckoned and, off the back of an impressive campaign, perhaps they were destined to return to the second tier just five years after it had all gone wrong.<\/p>\n

Bolton were, after all, a prolific play-off side, having twice won promotion to the Premier League via the nail biting end-of-season competition.<\/p>\n

That day at Wembley two years ago felt like a step too far, however with a jaded Bolton looking off the pace. Opponents Oxford might not have been fancied before kick-off, but they controlled the game, scored twice, and earned their place in the Championship.<\/p>\n

Fast forward two years and Oxford are down and face a return to League One, but could Bolton pull off a reverse in fortunes and take their place? Simons’ finish at Valley Parade means that dream moves a step closer.<\/p>\n

“I couldn’t think of anyone better to score the goal to take us to Wembley. It’s been tough in the second half of the season for Xav,” Schumacher added.<\/p>\n

“He’s found himself sometimes out of starting XIs or matchday squads but he’s a model pro, he’s done absolutely everything properly all the time, every single day.<\/p>\n

“For him to come on and score the goal and take us to Wembley, I’m delighted for him.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

As for Simons, in his fledgling career, the 23-year-old has scored five goals in senior football.<\/p>\n

But none more pressing than the one that sealed his side’s place under the Wembley arch.<\/p>\n

“This is definitely up there as one of the most important goals so far,” Simons added.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been unfortunate to miss out on quite a bit of game time. But i’ve stuck at it and stayed true to myself and trained properly every day.<\/p>\n

“I’m here for the team, for this football club and not for myself. We set out a goal at the start of the season and we’re well on track.<\/p>\n

“Nothing’s been given to me in football terms and I’ve had to work hard for everything. It’s nice for the rewards to pay off but the job’s not done yet.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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And the same fixture brings the curtain down on each club’s campaigns as they contest the League One play-off final, with both vying for a spot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n'Dangerous' Bolton come full circle for play-off final - Tahrir News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/05\/15\/dangerous-bolton-come-full-circle-for-play-off-final\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Dangerous' Bolton come full circle for play-off final\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On 3 August 2025 it all began. 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