Bolton Wanderers have carried the weight of expectation on them for several years now.

This is a big club – one that has averaged crowds of over 21,000 for three seasons now; one that has dreams of an eventual return to the Premier League, where they have spent 13 seasons in all.

But it is also a club that has been in Sky Bet League One for five seasons now – the longest stay in the third tier in club history.

Two play-off campaigns have ended in heartbreak. In 2022/23, they were beaten by Barnsley in the semi-final, while in 2023/24 they reached the Wembley final, only to be beaten by Oxford.

Steven Schumacher was not in charge for either, but he will already have been reminded of the recent history countless times going into his side’s crucial second leg against Bradford on Thursday night, which is live on Sky Sports Football.

Bolton take a 1-0 aggregate lead into the game, thanks to a brilliant strike from Brighton loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry.

Thursday 14th May 7:30pm


Kick off 8:00pm

“I knew the expectation before I came because of the size of the club,” he tells Sky Sports.

“It’s a club we believe is bigger than this division, but this division is not easy to get out of.

“The expectation and the demand to get to the Championship is there and once you’re in the building and you feel the mood when you win games, when you lose games, you can sense that this is a club that is desperate to get out and get to the next level.

“When you look at the size of both Bolton and Bradford and how well they are supported, both clubs are probably too big to be in League One. But that’s where both clubs find themselves and one of us has got to find our way out of it if we can.”

Schumacher, incidentally, made his name at Bradford between 2004 and 2007 after leaving the youth setup at Everton.

“It’s a really good club and I enjoyed my time up there. It was excellent and got me going in the Football League – but all that goes to the back of my mind, if I’m honest,” he says.

“They are a team we know have come into the play-offs with good momentum and were in the top six for the majority of the season.

“They deserve huge credit and we’ve had four good games against them this season and I’m sure there’s going to be another good game to come. We know we have to concentrate the whole time if we’re going to get the result we need.”

There is another personal link for the 42-year-old in this tie – Bradford boss Graham Alexander was his manager at Fleetwood between 2013 and 2015.

The pair maintain a good relationship 11 years on will no doubt share a drink after the game on Thursday, as they have done already this season.

“I try to take a little bit from all the managers I’ve worked under and one or my biggest takeaways from Graham is how well-organised he was,” Schumacher adds.

“I always remember, going into the training sessions, everything was always set out, everything was organised and planned. There was a reason we were doing certain sessions and a reason why we were playing a certain way, depending on the opposition we were coming up against.

“The information he gave was really good, really detailed and I’ve tried to take that into my management career.

“You try and take as much as you can from everybody, good and bad influences you’ve had over your playing career and that’s what I took from Graham. That’s what his team looks like as well.”

The pair went to Wembley in May 2014, when Fleetwood faced Burton in the League Two play-off final.

Schumacher was named among the substitutes that day and did not make it onto the pitch.

But Alexander’s men did win, securing promotion to League One for the first time in their history.

“The promotion was the main thing. You’ve got to put your individual pride to one side. The manager has a tough call to make.

“When Graham left me out of the starting XI, I was obviously disappointed and I had to sit on the bench, but you’ve got to try to be as good a team-mate as you can, try to be a good influence in the group.

“You’re not going to be happy sitting there and I’ve tried to explain this to my players – it’s not an easy role. I probably didn’t understand that when that happened to me, but now I do.

“But when Sarce [Antoni Sarcevic] scored the winner and we won that game, the feeling was unbelievable.”

This time only one will make it.

“It would mean everything to get to Wembley,” he adds.

“When I first had the job interview, it was why I was so keen to come to this club because of the capability it’s got. The objective was clear, to try and get into the Championship and then when we get to the Championship, there’s room for us to grow and kick on and compete in that division.

“It would mean everything to complete the first step in what’s going to be an exciting journey for this club over the next few years.”

Has he looked any further beyond that?

“You’ve got to visualise. That’s the only way these visions can come true. If you don’t believe you can do it, that can have a negative effect.

“But my focus can’t come too far away from the next game, as always, which is a difficult one. That’s where my mind will be at for now.”

The current lead is a slender one, but in the race to the play-off final, Schumacher currently is in the driving seat.

Watch the Sky Bet League One play-off semi-final second leg between Bradford and Bolton at Valley Parade live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Thursday; kick-off 8pm.