Bolton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle of Sky Bet League One will lock horns at Wembley Stadium tomorrow in the Papa John’s Trophy final. Both teams will be putting their respective promotion pushes on hold as they look to bring home their first trophy of the campaign.
Bolton currently sit in fifth place in the third tier and they will be looking to cement a play-off spot as they approach the finals few weeks of the season. The Pilgrims meanwhile are flying at the top of the table and could be playing in the Championship next season for the first time since 2010.
Route to the final
After progressing through the group stages, Bolton overcame League Two outfit Barrow in the second round. An impressive 4-0 victory over Manchester United U21’s followed after four second-half goals from Dapo Afolayan, Aaron Morley, Amadou Bakayoko and Conor Bradley. In the quarter-finals, Ian Evatt’s side hosted Portsmouth and were 1-0 victors. They booked their place in the final after a 2-0 win over Accrington Stanley.
Plymouth only narrowly made it through the second round after a 3-2 victory over Charlton Athletic. They again just got passed AFC Wimbledon in the subsequent round, beating the Dons 3-2 on penalties. A quarter final win over Bristol Rovers set-up a semi-final clash with Cheltenham Town which they won on penalties. This ensured they would be making the trip to the capital to face Bolton.
Teams news
Plymouth’s Adam Randell and James Bolton will not be featuring at Wembley due to an ankle sprain and hamstring injury respectively. Michael Cooper, Argyle’s first-choice ‘keeper, is also injured and will not be able to play in the final. However, Sam Cosgrove’s return is a massive boost for the Devon-based side having netted four goals in the Papa John’s Trophy this season.
Bolton will not have Jack Iredale and Jón Daði Böðvarsson at their disposal with both of them sidelined for the rest of the season. MJ Williams and George Johnston could make a return.
Recent meetings
These two teams last met at the beginning of January as the spoils were shared at the University of Bolton Stadium. Bolton have not beaten Argyle in their last five attempts, potentially adding an added incentive to end that disappointing run.
7th January 2023 – Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Plymouth Argyle (Sky Bet League One)
27th August 2022 – Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Bolton Wanderers (Sky Bet League One)
12th March 2022 – Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Plymouth Argyle (Sky Bet League One)
19th October 2021 – Plymouth Argyle 3-0 Bolton Wanderers (Sky Bet League One)
9th November 2019 – Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Plymouth Argyle (The Emirates FA Cup)
Writer’s view
This game will be a tightly contested one between two of League One’s best sides. On paper, Plymouth are the favourites – sitting 16 points ahead of their opponents.
An intriguing encounter is set to play out, but who do you think will be crowned 2023 Papa John’s Trophy winners?
