Papa Johns Trophy final: Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Plymouth Argyle - Trotters thrash Pilgrims
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Ian Evatt led Bolton to their second win in the competition
Impressive Bolton Wanderers blew away League One automatic promotion-chasers Plymouth Argyle to win a one-sided Papa Johns Trophy final with a record 4-0 scoreline at Wembley.
Bolton were in dreamland after two goals in the opening 10 minutes - Kyle Dempsey headed them in front before he provided the pass for Dion Charles to side-foot home the second.
Dempsey had two excellent chances for a third inside the opening half hour as Argyle appeared to freeze on the big stage.
It got better for Bolton as Elias Kachunga pounced on an error for a third shortly after half-time before Gethin Jones headed in a fourth from a corner.
It is the second time Bolton have won the EFL Trophy in its various guises - the last time was also against Devon opposition when they beat Torquay United 4-1 in 1989.
The 4-0 victory is the biggest-ever in the 41-year history of the competition with a crowd of 79,389 the highest anywhere in Europe this weekend.
Dempsey destroys Argyle
Kyle Dempsey's performance earned him the Player of the Match award
Bolton impressed early on and were rewarded with Dempsey's headed opener as he ghosted in at the far post unmarked to score from Declan John's corner.
Charles found himself free in the box two minutes later and had a shot blocked as shell-shocked Plymouth tried to get their heads around their poor start.
But it was Bolton who found themselves two ahead soon after with a wonderfully worked goal - Dempsey broke down the right, played in Kachunga, who passed it back to Dempsey and his perfectly-weighted ball across the face of goal was calmly slotted home by the unmarked Charles from eight yards.
Argyle's 38,000-strong support saw half chances for Joe Edwards and Callum Wright, but it was Bolton who should have been 3-0 up after 19 minutes when Dempsey got on the end of Conor Bradley's pull-back from the right by-line but saw Edwards block his shot and Argyle keeper Callum Burton gratefully grasp the ball on the line.
Argyle finally had a chance when top scorer Ryan Hardie's 24th-minute effort was blocked by James Trafford's legs after good work by Jordon Houghton before Bolton had two more efforts to go further in front, with Dempsey at the heart of both thanks to his industry and dangerous running with the ball.
He broke through the Argyle line but saw a low side-footed effort stopped by Burton when one-on-one after 29 minutes before he once again broke down the right and cut the ball back for Charles, but this time the Northern Ireland striker blazed over the bar from the edge of the box.
Bolton cruise to victory
Goalscorers Dion Charles, Elias Kachunga and Kyle Dempsey celebrated Bolton's third goal early in the second half
Argyle brought on striker Sam Cosgrove and midfielder Matt Butcher at half-time, and for the first couple of minutes it seemed to be working.
But a suicidal pass was played to Butcher deep in his own territory and, with pressure from Charles, the ball ended up at Kachunga's feet in front of goal and the former Huddersfield Town striker side-footed the Trotters' third three minutes after the break.
It got even better for Bolton 12 minutes later when Jones outmuscled his marker to head in a corner from six yards to send the travelling Wanderers support into raptures.
As the game began to fizzle out, Argyle saw Hardie hit the side netting and Butcher have a shot deflected over the bar, but it could have been 5-0 when substitute Cameron Jerome pulled the ball back for Kachunga, whose right-footed effort went agonisingly wide of the far post.
But it was Bolton's fans, waving blue and white flags, in a packed half of Wembley that ended the afternoon celebrating as they banished the memories of their last Wembley trip - a 5-0 FA Cup semi-final loss to Stoke City in 2011.
From administration and relegation to Wembley winners
Gethin Jones' goal sent Bolton's travelling supporters wild
Bolton Wanderers fans can truly attest to the term 'rollercoaster of emotions' when it comes to following their side.
From a Uefa Cup campaign under Sam Allardyce that ended in defeat to Marseille in 2006, to almost going out of business four years ago, Trotters fans have seen it all.
But since a takeover by Football Ventures (Whites) Limited in August 2019, after having a 12-point deduction for going into administration, the club's fortunes have gradually turned around.
Relegation to League Two in 2020 was quickly followed by promotion a year later, and the club could still get back to the Championship.
Bolton are fifth in League One - and while automatic promotion seems unachievable, the play-offs are very much in their hands - perhaps they will be returning here to Wembley in May for another victory party?
Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt told BBC Sport:
"I'm really proud of the players - to perform like that on big stage, it's incredible.
"It's great credit to them to play with that freedom in a huge, high-pressure game.
"I'm delighted, it was an amazing atmosphere, both clubs selling that amount of tickets is great credit to the clubs they are and the competition - hopefully we did it justice with that performance."
Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher told BBC Sport:
"I'm devastated with the outcome. I think congratulations are due to Bolton Wanderers, they were the better team and deserved to win the game.
"I want to apologise to our fans. We didn't want that to go like that but, after the start to the game we had, 10 minutes in and 2-0 down from our own undoing really.
"We gave the ball always in two poor areas and then we got punished - every mistake seemed to get punished by a really good Bolton Wanderers team.
"Once you go 2-0 down it's going to be a really tough day and it was."
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