Crawley Town 1-4 Bolton Wanderers: Antoni Sarcevic on target as Trotters win promotion from League Two
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Oladapo Afolayan is on loan at Bolton from Premier League side West Ham
Bolton Wanderers strolled to promotion from League Two as a classy Antoni Sarcevic strike set them on the way to a victory over Crawley Town which guaranteed automatic promotion.
Sarcevic smashed in the opening goal after cutting in from the right and beating two defenders and the outstanding Oladapo Afolayan's close-range finish made it 2-0.
Crawley, who finished the season in 12th place, were already being outclassed but their hopes of a dramatic fightback all but ended when George Francomb was sent off for receiving a second yellow card for hauling down Afolayan.
More great work by Afolayan and Sarcevic enabled Eoin Doyle to make it 3-0 with a stylish first-time strike after the break.
Lloyd Isgrove pounced on a defensive lapse to stride through and make it 4-0 to ensure the Trotters finish third behind champions Cheltenham Town and Cambridge United - and go back to League One after one season in the fourth tier.
Crawley were rewarded for a spirited second-half display when Davide Rodari stroked home his side's only goal in the 89th minute.
Evatt transforms Trotters
Ian Evatt left Barrow to take over as Bolton boss in July
From the financial uncertainty of former owner Ken Anderson's tenure, through administration, a 12-point deduction and a subsequent takeover, to a season curtailed by the pandemic and resulting in a second successive relegation, it has been a tumultuous few years for the Trotters.
But the comprehensive win over Crawley means promotion back to the third tier at the first time of asking and is a welcome turnaround for a club which came just days from oblivion in 2019.
Former Barrow boss Ian Evatt arrived last summer to replace Keith Hill, but it has not been an easy season.
Despite a significant summer recruitment drive, which saw prolific striker Doyle join among a host of other new faces, Evatt lost his first five games in charge.
The 39-year-old was embroiled in controversy in October when he was forced to apologise for telling goalkeeper Billy Crellin to "man up" after he parried a cross into his own net during a 1-1 draw versus Cambridge.
There were more changes behind the scenes when, midway through the campaign, head of football operations Tobias Phoenix left and Evatt's role subsequently changed from head coach to manager.
A 2-1 defeat in February by Tranmere, now managed by Hill, left Bolton 17th in the table and nearer the relegation places than the play-off positions.
Since that loss, however, Evatt has inspired an impressive turnaround at the helm, winning 16 of 22 matches to transform their season and seal promotion in style.
Bolton's players and staff savoured the celebrations in raucous fashion after a testing season