Bolton defeat 10-man Accrington to reach Wembley

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Bolton players celebrate with goalscorer Elias KachungaElias Kachunga (centre) broke the deadlock for Bolton Wanderers against Accrington Stanley

Bolton Wanderers left it late to book a Wembley date with Plymouth Argyle in the Papa Johns Trophy Final.

Wanderers overcame Accrington Stanley 2-0 at the Wham Stadium after the hosts were forced to play more than an hour with 10 men after Sean McConville's early red card.

Elias Kachunga and Aaron Morley struck in the closing stages to decide the semi-final for the 1989 winners.

One hundred years on from their first, Bolton booked their 14th Wembley showpiece, while Stanley's wait to visit the national stadium goes on.

Wanderers meeting with Argyle - shootout winners against Cheltenham Town on Tuesday - on Sunday, 2 April will be their first at Wembley since 2011 when they were humbled 5-0 by Stoke City in their FA Cup semi-final.

Bolton goalkeeper James Trafford held an early strike from McConville while Lukas Jensen denied 17-goal Dion Charles with his leg when clean through at the other end.

McConville received a straight red card on 22 minutes after a knee-high challenge on Conor Bradley - the sixth red card of the 33-year-old's career on his 425th Stanley appearance.

Aaron Pressley and Liam Coyle were also booked for fouls on Bradley, with Coyle's yellow card his 16th of the season.

Bradley saw a shot blocked and fired another effort off-target as Bolton pressed, while Kachunga slid the ball wide and Josh Sheehan fired over before the interval.

On-loan Manchester City and England Under-21 keeper Trafford raced out of his area and collided with Coyle on 50 minutes, earning himself a caution, while Coyle fell awkwardly and left on a stretcher after an eight-minute stoppage.

Charles had a goal chalked off for offside just before the hour and Kieran Lee clipped a close-range effort past the post with the goal at his mercy moments later.

In the space of four seconds Charles thudded the post, Jensen instinctively denied Declan John's follow-up, and then Charles rattled the bar from the rebound as the Reds goal led a charmed life.

The breakthrough eventually came eight minutes from time when Kachunga pounced on a slip from Rosaire Longelo in the box to lash high past Jensen and send the travelling army of Bolton fans wild.

The result was put beyond doubt two minutes later when Morley superbly fired in off the post from 20 yards after Stanley had only half-cleared their lines.

Trafford denied Pressley in the closing stages but Bolton kept their 12th clean sheet in 16 matches.

Along with Accrington, Hartlepool and Crawley are the only other EFL clubs never to have played at Wembley.

Line-ups

Accrington

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 1Jensen
  • 50Fernandes
  • 16Rodgers
  • 15Sangare
  • 14Longelo
  • 28ConneelySubstituted forManciniat 90+2'minutes
  • 6CoyleBooked at 41minsSubstituted forMartinat 57'minutes
  • 11McConvilleBooked at 22mins
  • 8LeighSubstituted forWoodsat 90+2'minutes
  • 7WhalleySubstituted forClarkat 75'minutes
  • 20PressleyBooked at 21minsSubstituted forAdekoyaat 90+1'minutes

Substitutes

  • 2Clark
  • 17Nolan
  • 22Martin
  • 23Mancini
  • 30Isherwood
  • 39Woods
  • 42Adekoya

Bolton

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 19TraffordBooked at 52mins
  • 18Toal
  • 5Almeida Santos
  • 28MbeteSubstituted forJonesat 70'minutes
  • 21BradleySubstituted forIsgroveat 90+6'minutes
  • 16MorleyBooked at 64mins
  • 8Sheehan
  • 3JohnSubstituted forWilliamsat 77'minutes
  • 20Lee
  • 24Kachunga
  • 10Charles

Substitutes

  • 2Jones
  • 12Dixon
  • 23Isgrove
  • 25Thomason
  • 27Williams
  • 38Khumbeni
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