The League One play-off final is always an interesting spectacle and is often considered the ‘best’ way to be promoted due to the journey that it takes the fans on as well as the experience of Wembley.
It does however bring the cruelest possible ending to the season for one of Bolton Wanderers or Oxford United, who are now potentially just 90 minutes away from playing in the Championship next term. Although maybe not the case in previous seasons, there is a rather clear favourite for promotion this time around, that being Ian Evatt’s Bolton.
The Wanderers would finish the season well, going unbeaten in their last 12 regular season matches. They’d win the first leg of the semi-final against Barnsley 3-1 before being beaten by a spirited Tykes side 3-2 in the reverse fixture. That result looks unlikely to derail their momentum and having finished in third, as well as beating Oxford 5-0 the last time they met, they’re rightly favourites.
This is however a slightly different U’s side who will be taking the field on Saturday afternoon and they’re a side who have seriously improved since that thrashing. Des Buckingham’s men would manage the semi-final against Peterborough United exceptionally well, winning 1-0 at home prior to holding Posh to a 1-1 draw away.
They can take plenty of confidence from those performances and given that they seem to be the underdogs, could greatly benefit from all of the pressure being on Bolton.
With that in mind, here’s how two of The Real EFL’s writing team see the game panning out…
“Pre-season expectations would’ve drastically varied between the two sides but nonetheless, they meet at Wembley with the shared goal of promotion to the Championship but only one can advance.
“Des Buckingham has had his fair share of doubters since taking the helm but has done an admirable job and to have kept Oxford in contention in the second half of the season, and now making the final.
“This however could be one step too far for his side and Bolton on their day have been one of the best sides in the league this season. I fully expect them to turn up and rise to the occasion despite all the pressure being on them. It’s unlikely that it’ll be another 5-0 demolition but they should have enough to win comfortable and make a return to the second tier.”
Bolton Wanderers 3-1 Oxford United
“It’s really difficult to look past a Bolton victory here. They’ve been one of the standout teams in the division for the majority of the season and have had the luxury of having had ample time to prepare for the play-off after seemingly giving up on automatic promotion following their defeat against Derby in March.
“On the other hand, Oxford were very fortunate to reach the top six. They had to rely on other results to secure their spot, although they performed admirably to find a way past Peterborough in the semi-final.
“Bolton arguably struggled to find a way past Barnsley in the previous round, but they’ll be far too strong here. Championship football beckons once again for the Trotters.”
Bolton Wanderers 4-1 Oxford United
