While Wrexham’s recent ascent through the divisions has received a lot of attention, Stockport County has quietly stayed up.
Before local businessman and entrepreneur Mark Stott took over, the Hatters appeared bound for non-league obscurity for years to come, having played in the National League or National League North for 11 straight seasons.
His investment gave the Greater Manchester club new life and restored their competitiveness.
Stockport County advanced to the League Two play-off final the next season after earning automatic promotion in 2022, however they were defeated by Carlisle. They have continuously qualified for the playoffs since then, earning promotion to League One in the process.
As they are ready to play Bolton Wanderers at Wembley today, they are now on the verge of the Championship, only one win away from England’s second division.
The League One play-off final between Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers takes place at Wembley today.
Bolton, their rivals, have significantly more experience at the upper levels of English football, having defeated Bradford City in their semi-final match.
Many people are wondering if the Wanderers will make a comeback after spending 17 of the previous 25 seasons in either the Premier League or the Championship.
According to Sky Bet, the bookmakers believe that Bolton is a slight favorite at 5/6 to win promotion. In contrast, Stockport, who want to guarantee their spot in the Championship the next season, are slight underdogs at 10/11.
It is noteworthy that Stockport has prevailed in their two encounters this season. After winning 2-0 at Edgeley Park to start the season, the teams drew 2-2 in Bolton.
For this intriguing match, Sky Bet has announced four Price Boosts in addition to the usual match odds.
These include Mason Burstow having three or more shots on goal at 6/1, Ruben Rodrigues committing two or more fouls at 1/1, Louie Barry scoring at any moment at 3/1, and both sides recording two or more corners in each half at 4/1.
Notably, recent results support these wagers; in Bolton’s play-off semi-final second-leg victory over Bradford, Rodrigues committed three fouls, while Barry scored in Stockport’s comparable triumph over Stevenage.
