Stockport County defeated Stevenage 3-0 on aggregate to reach the League One play-off final and secure their passage to Wembley.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg of the semi-final, Stockport quickly asserted their dominance with a 2-0 win at Edgeley Park in the second leg.
Louis Barry opened the scoring early on and Kyle Wootton headed home Stevenage defender Karl Piergianni for a second before half-time.
This means they did one better than last season under coach Dave Challiner, when they were eliminated at the semi-final stage of the play-offs.
Stockport finishes work early at Edgeley Park
Stockport players celebrate after Kyle Wootton (right) gave them a 2-0 lead on the night against Stevenage.
Ben Osborne, who scored Saturday’s bizarre only goal, showed his quality by teeing up Barry and firing a stunning finish past Phillip Marshall. The first goal was scored with 14 minutes remaining.
Stockport scored their next goal half an hour ago. Wootton had been playing in defense recently, but his acrobatic shot was guided into the top corner by Piergianni’s head, showing that his attacking instincts were not going anywhere.
And it was more than enough for Stockport to reach the final. They have lost once this season at Wembley and in the Virtu Trophy final just a few weeks ago.
They will be hoping that doesn’t happen again when they face either Bradford or Bolton on May 24th.
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Louis Barry scored the opening goal against Stevenage to give Stockport a 2-0 aggregate lead.
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Carl Piergianni’s header from Kyle Wootton’s shot gave Stockport a 3-0 aggregate victory!
Challinor: Injuries in last year’s playoffs propelled us forward
Stockport manager Dave Challinor told Sky Sports that last season’s play-off semi-final defeat was a driving force for his side this season.
“It certainly hurt me,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of playoff games, winning and losing. It’s been a really tough game.
“We’ve been helped all year, but we’ve also had a lot of adversity. It was a huge effort from our players to react the way we did and get into this situation.”
“It was a great night. We’re in a one-shot game for a championship spot, which is great.
“Saturday’s goal made a difference, but we really wanted to start on a positive note tonight and we did that. Scoring the two goals in the first half calmed us down and gave us a chance.”
“Great job Challinar.”
Steve Evans talks about Sky Sports:
“It was a great job by Dave Challinor. He came in at a time when the team was struggling and it was a brave move by the owners to bring him in from Hartlepool.
“He’s a legend at the club he plays here, but when he comes here and reinvigorates the team, especially after last year, you can see the quality of his performance tonight.”
Disappointed with the level but proud of the Stevenage season
Stevenage boss Alex Revell told Sky Sports:
“I’m disappointed for the group and everyone that traveled tonight. We allowed them to play at home in the first half and the atmosphere was high.
“From our point of view, we conceded two disappointing goals. In the second half we saw that the team showed our standards and the level we expect.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved this year. Obviously everyone’s disappointed because we came so close to Wembley, but this time last year Stockport were in our position. We’ve got to use that as motivation for next season and make sure we’re that.”
