The Steven Schumacher decision that could land Bolton Wanderers Championship football again | OneFootball

The Trotters have found form under the guidance of the 40-year-old, and promotion is a realistic ambition once again.

When Bolton Wanderers lost the League One play-off final to Oxford United in May, there was a feeling of doubt looming overhead in Greater Manchester.

The Trotters missed out on automatic promotion to the Championship on the final day of the season as Derby County ran out 2-0 winners at home to Carlisle United, while Ian Evatt's side drew 3-3 with last season's fourth-place finisher, Peterborough United.

There had been ample opportunity to overtake the Rams in the weeks leading up to the last game of the campaign, but a lack of consistency plagued them in the second half of the season and it followed them throughout the opening months of 2024/25.

Evatt was sacked at the end of January following a defeat to Charlton Athletic that left Bolton in ninth. Steven Schumacher was brought in to steady the ship and to help the team recover - a decision that is looking as though it has already paid off.

Bolton's decision to hire Schumacher could see a return to the Championship

It's been six years since the Trotters last played Championship football, and the club have been on an incredibly long journey since then.

They entered administration just a week after the end of the 2018/19 season and it nearly culminated in liquidation, but they recovered and following a year in League Two, they returned to the third tier.

They have twice come close to promotion back to the Championship but play-off defeats in the semi-final to Barnsley in 2022/23 and then to Oxford at Wembley have ensured that their stay in League One has been longer than supporters have wanted.

This season looked as though it was going to conclude with Bolton still in the same division, but Schumacher has inspired his players and fanbase into believing that a top six finish is more than a slight possibility.

A 2-1 win over Leyton Orient, who currently occupy the final play-off place, at the weekend saw the Trotters join the O's and Charlton on 53 points and the fight for sixth looks as though it could go all the way.

As he did at Plymouth Argyle, Schumacher knows how to get a club out of League One and he has already built a fantastic rapport with those in the stands at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, something that Evatt had lost during his final months at the club.

Bolton's form will be a huge concern for those looking over their shoulder

After losing to Reading in their new manager's first game in charge, Bolton have won their last three league games, taking them to the fringes of the play-offs.

Huddersfield Town and Leyton Orient will both be incredibly worried about the threat that is now posed by the Trotters, as they have plenty of quality all over the pitch that is finally being used properly.

Getting into the right form at the right time is crucial in the play-offs and Bolton know that better than anyone, and Schumacher is starting to build belief back in his team that had gone missing under the previous manager.

Stoke City manager has already been.