The stage is set for Argyle’s first ever cup final, as the Greens take on Bolton Wanderers this Sunday in the Papa Johns Trophy final at Wembley Stadium.
After a series of seasons of not getting past the group stage of the Trophy, Argyle have reached the final of the competition, staying unbeaten throughout – but surviving some scares along the way.
The group stage began with a 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers, in which Ryan Hardie scored for the Pilgrims. Argyle won a shoot-out to gain an extra point.
Hardie was on target again as Argyle won 3-1 at Swindon Town, with Academy prospects Will Jenkins Davies and Oscar Halls getting the other two, before Niall Ennis scored the only goal against Crystal Palace Under-21s.
In the second round, Argyle were drawn against Charlton Athletic, who took an early lead at Home Park, but the Greens rallied to go 3-1 up thanks to Sam Cosgrove, Ennis and another young player scoring his first senior goal, Caleb Roberts. Charlton got one back late on, but it was scant consolation.
Another home draw against London opposition saw Wimbledon head to Home Park, and race into a 3-0 lead by half-time. Few would have given Argyle a chance from here, but Cosgrove’s hat-trick took the game to penalties, and Big Sam was among several Argyle players to convert from the spot as the Greens prevailed.
In the quarter-finals, Argyle met Bristol Rovers for the second time, and on a tempestuous night at the Memorial Stadium, won 2-0 thanks to Hardie and Ben Waine, another man scoring his first goal in green.
Sky’s cameras came to Home Park for the visit of Cheltenham Town, and witnessed another dramatic evening. Town took the lead via Alfie May, but Hardie scored a superb equaliser which took the game to another shoot-out. Goalkeeper Callum Burton, who had saved single penalties in each of the other shoot-outs, stopped three Cheltenham spot-kicks, and Argyle’s ticket to Wembley was booked.
Bolton progressed through their group, firstly beating Crewe Alexandra 4-1, scoring three late goals to seal the win. From 2-0 down at Tranmere Rovers in game two, Bolton fought back to draw, but lost a shoot-out for an extra point. Wanderers sealed progression with a 3-0 win over Leeds United Under-21s.
Goals continued to flow for the Trotters as they won 3-2 against Barrow in round two. This time, they let a 2-0 lead slip, with former Pilgrim Niall Canavan on the scoresheet as Barrow brought the game back to 2-2, but Elias Kachunga’s winner took Bolton through.
Four second-half goals took Bolton past Manchester United Under-21s and set up a quarter final tie against Portsmouth, which was won by Jon Bodvarsson’s goal.
In the semi-final, Bolton were assisted by the sending off of Accrington Stanley’s Sean McConville, but again left it late, with Kachunga and Aaron Morley scoring to confirm their place in the final.
Along the way, Bolton scored 19 goals, with Bodvarsson, Kieran Sadlier and Amadou Bakayoko scoring three apiece along the way. Oladapo Afolayan, Dion Charles, Kachunga and Morley each scored two, with Conor Bradley getting one.
Charles is Bolton’s top goalscorer during the season, having amassed 15 league goals and one in the Carabao Cup, too. No other Wanderers player has scored more than five goals outside of the Papa Johns Trophy. Bolton go into the weekend fifth in Sky Bet League One, with 64 points from their 38 games.
In the two games between the sides this season, Argyle have gained four points. Ennis and Hardie were on target as the Greens won 2-0 a Home Park at the end of August, and the teams drew 0-0 in Lancashire in January.
Bolton are managed by Ian Evatt, who has been manager since June 2020. He spent two seasons as the boss of Barrow, guiding them into the EFL for the first time in almost 50 years. As a player, he was a central defender, and is most remembered for playing more than 200 games each for Blackpool and Chesterfield.
Kick-Off
The game begins at 3pm.
Schumacher Says
“We've gone through the same routine, the same sort of detail that we give the players for every league game. It's somebody we know a lot in Bolton Wanderers. We’ve played twice already this season.
“They’re a really good team, and we need to give the players the information that we would for a league game. We can't just say: ‘oh, it's a final, let's just go and enjoy it.’ We need to be prepared as best as we can.
“Not having a game at the weekend was probably a good thing. We had a couple of niggles and knocks leading into the Accrington game, so having that free weekend gave everybody a chance to recover.
“Training this week's being good. We've had an extra day for preparation because we're playing on a Sunday. It's felt quite relaxed, but the lads are focused and looking sharp in the training sessions. We had an in-house game, which was really good.
“It’s been lovely and wet and raining down there, so the ball was zipping about a bit and then we finish the preparation off on Saturday."
Tickets
Anyone without a ticket should not travel to the game.
Fans with tickets are advised to check they are seated in the appropriate area of the stadium. Any supporter who is identified in opposition areas will be ejected from the stadium for breaching the FA’s ground regulations and be subject to each club’s own sanctions process.
For information on ticket collection, entry to the stadium and more, click here.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing our third kit for this game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV will be live at pitchside for a pre-match show, streamed for free on YouTube from 1.45pm. Erin Black will be joined by Ian Stonebridge and Katie Middleton, with Michael Cooper making a special appearance, too.
Audio only commentary of the game will be provided by Charlie Price and Marc Edworthy.
Click here for more info on Argyle TV.
Sky TV
The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Football. The show, hosted by Michelle Owen, will begin at 2.30pm. Punditry will be provided by Jobi McAnuff, Jamie Mackie and Aaron MacLean. Commentary will be from David Stowell and Lee Hendrie.
