Bolton Wanderers lift the League One play-off final trophy. Alamy Stock Photo

Irish contingent celebrate as Bolton back in Championship

There was also joy for Irish players in Scotland this afternoon.

SAM DALBY CAME off the bench to fire Bolton back into the Championship for the first time since 2019 with a 4-1 League One play-off final win over Stockport.

Substitute Dalby netted a decisive 81st-minute third goal after playing his part in Wanderers’ restoring their lead via a Kyle Wootton own goal 17 minutes earlier.

Ruben Rodrigues started and finished the scoring – his second via the penalty spot – as County’s second Wembley defeat of the season ended with former Bolton right-back Josh Dacres-Cogley sent off for a stoppage-time hair pull on Ibrahim Cissoko.

Steven Schumacher’s side celebrated their return to the second tier two years after losing to Oxford in the same showpiece.

Johnny Kenny, Jack Bonham, Cyrus Christie, Lewis Temple and David Harrington are the Irish players celebrating. Bonham played the full game, producing a crucial block late on, with Christie introduced in the second half and Harrington an unused substitute.

Celtic loanee Kenny has been out injured, while Temple has not yet featured for the first team.

Louie Barry started for the losing Stockport side, and played 64 minutes.

meadowbank-stadium-edinburgh-scotland-uk-24th-may-2026-hibernian-v-hearts-scottish-power-scottish-womens-premier-league-hearts-players-lift-the-trophy-after-winning-the-20252026-swpl-credit Ellen Dolan (third from left) and Jenna Slattery (furthest right) celebrate as Hearts lift the trophy. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Elsewhere this afternoon, Irish duo Ellen Dolan and Jenna Slattery helped Hearts to win their first-ever Scottish Women’s Premier League title.

Hearts lost 2-0 to Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, but Rangers’ 6-0 defeat to Glasgow City meant Hearts reign supreme with a two-point cushion at the top of the table.

Dolan - the first player to sign for the women’s team through Tony Bloom’s data analytics approach - started and played 66 minutes for Hearts, while Slattery came on at the same juncture.

Ciara Grant, who now retires from professional football, Jess Fitzgerald and Scarlett Herron all featured for Hibs.

With reporting from Emma Duffy

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