The ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity before falling to Bolton Wanderers’ Sam Dalby, standing on the six-yard box with his back turned to the 28,000 sun-baked Trotters supporters packed into Wembley Stadium.
Having orchestrated the goal which put his side 2-1 in the lead with a defence-splitting flick just moments earlier, here, Dalby well and truly etched his name into Bolton folklore.
Almost falling backwards under the clutch of desperate Stockport defender Ethan Pye, the No 10 flung his left foot in the air, connecting perfectly with an overhead kick to send the ball past the helpless Corey Addai.
It was the moment which killed this year’s League One winner-takes-all showpiece – and the fourth goal which followed, a penalty from Ruben Rodrigues, came as the icing on the cake for Bolton fans who have endured such suffering.
This victory put right the wrongs of two summers ago when they watched their side slump to a 2-0 defeat against Oxford United on this hallowed turf in north-west London. From August, Bolton will grace the second tier of English football once again, eight years after they dropped out of the division.
Steven Schumacher spoke of an ‘expectation’ in his pre-match press conference that Bolton return to the level where, he said, they belong. There had indeed been a considerable weight resting on his side’s shoulders, but they rose to the occasion seamlessly on Sunday afternoon.
Sam Dalby etched his name into Bolton Wanderers’ folklore with an overhead kick against Stockport County to send his side to the Championship
Almost falling backwards under the clutch of desperate Hatters defender Ethan Pye, the No 10 flung his left foot in the air, connecting perfectly with an overhead kick to send the ball past the helpless Corey Addai
The Trotters ran out 4-1 victors after an impressive performance against a spirited Stockport County side
Schumacher said after the final whistle: ‘It’s all joy. Being a manager of Bolton Wanderers, that type of pressure is a privilege.
‘I knew what I was getting into when I came to this football club. We’ve worked so hard, been here for 18 months now and everybody has pulled together to get us there. It’s exactly what we deserve.’
On an afternoon where temperatures soared past 30C in the capital, it took less than three minutes for the Trotters to put themselves in the ascendancy.
Thierry Gale, who was a constant threat, struck a speculative effort from distance towards the bottom corner. Hatters keeper Corey Addai parried straight to Mason Burstow, whose cross was blocked to Rodrigues. With an almost open goal gaping in front of him, the Portuguese side-footed home his first of the day.
But in the period thereafter, Stockport grew into the game. Oliver Norwood probed with balls from deep and, on 10 minutes, found Adama Sidibeh with a clip over the top. Sidibeh smashed the ball into the back of the net, only for VAR to chalk it off for an earlier foul.
Yet it was just 19 minutes later that Stockport standout Sidibeh got his goal. The 27-year-old flicked home a delightful, in-swinging ball before taunting the Trotters fans away to his right.
A typically cagey period followed until, on 62 minutes, Dalby carved open the Stockport defence with a sumptuous flick on his left foot. It found star man Cozier-Duberry, who side-footed past the County keeper via the heel of Kyle Wootton.
With the Hatters wilting in the London sunshine, it was from this point that Bolton asserted their dominance.
Dalby made it three with his acrobatic strike, sending the Bolton end into pandemonium, before his side were awarded a penalty in added time for a Josh Dacres-Cogley hair-pull on Ibrahim Cissoko. Rodrigues stepped up and slotted into the bottom corner to complete his brace – and put the final out of Stockport’s reach.
Josh Dacres-Cogley was sent off for Stockport County after being deemed to have pulled Ibrahim Cissoko’s hair in the box
The Bolton supporters stayed long after the final whistle. At times, Wembley felt more akin to sitting in the stands at their home in Greater Manchester. A sleeping giant has awakened, after a long period out in the wilderness
By that point, many of the Stockport faithful had already begun their pilgrimage back to the north-west. Here, they stumbled at the last hurdle after a grueling League One campaign which actually began against their opponents today back in August.
The Bolton supporters stayed long after the final whistle. At times, Wembley felt more akin to sitting in the stands at their home in Lancashire. A sleeping giant appears to have awakened, after a long period out in the wilderness.
After gaining promotion through the play-offs for the first time, on his fourth attempt, Trotters midfielder Josh Sheehan gushed: ‘This is the best day ever, with the group of lads we’ve got, they’re such a great group and to do it for this club and these fans after so much heartache it’s all worth it now.
‘The first day I signed here the target was to get in the Championship, obviously it’s taken longer than we wanted but this is the best feeling ever.’
