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Bolton Wanderers supporters stormed the pitch with blue and white flares as they celebrated reaching the League One play-off final.
The Trotters were forced to witness a late Barnsley comeback in the second leg of their semi-final, with the Tykes making it 5-4 on aggregate with 15 minutes remaining as they piled on the pressure.
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Ian Evatt’s side led 3-1 heading into the second leg at home and looked to be in complete control.
But Sam Cosgrove, who scored Barnsley’s only goal in the reverse fixture, began a surprising comeback by putting the visitors 1-0 ahead in the 36th minute.
Bolton’s Aaron Collins and Eoin Toal then made it 2-1 and 5-2 on aggregate, only for Adam Phillips and Cosgrove to strike in the second half to set up a nervy end to the match.
However, despite losing 3-2 that evening, it was enough to see Bolton through.
Bolton are the first team this season to book their place at Wembley for the play-offs this season as they look to return to the Championship for the first time since 2019.
It’s been an incredible season for the Trotters, who were playing in Ligue 2 just three years ago.
The former Premier League side narrowly missed out on the automatic promotion places to Portsmouth and Derby, ultimately finishing five points behind the Rams in third.
And the relief of rewarding this campaign with a final at Wembley was evident among the players and supporters as they celebrated together on the pitch.
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Wanderers reached the play-offs last season after finishing fifth.
But last time out it was Barnsley who stopped them playing for promotion to the Home of Football, with the Tykes sealing a 2-1 victory on aggregate.
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The Tykes then lost 1–0 in extra time to Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final.
Now Bolton will face either Oxford United or Peterborough in the final, with the U’s currently holding a 1-0 advantage heading into the second leg on Wednesday.
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