Bolton and Bradford Face Play-off Test After 2025-26 Finish — Bolton Vs Bradford City
Bradford City finished fourth and Bolton Wanderers finished fifth, two points apart, as bolton vs bradford city moved into the League One play-offs after the 2025-26 season. The tie brought together two clubs with promotion history and a recent league record that has been tight throughout the campaign.
Both league meetings between them in 2025-26 ended in draws. That left the play-off meeting to settle what the table could not, with Bradford chasing back-to-back promotions and Bolton trying to turn a third League One play-off appearance in four seasons into a climb up the division.
Bolton’s Play-off Record
Bolton were in the EFL play-offs for the 10th time, matching the joint-most appearances by any side alongside Brentford, Huddersfield Town, Preston North End and Sheffield United. They had won promotion through the play-offs twice before, in 1994-95 and 2000-01 in the second tier.
That history sits alongside a strong current profile. Bolton had more shots than any other League One side in 2025-26, and only Stevenage faced fewer attempts than they did. They also allowed one of the lowest xG figures against in the division, which kept them in the top-five battle until the final reckoning.
Bradford’s Promotion Chase
Bradford reached the play-offs for the seventh time overall, with six previous EFL play-off campaigns behind them. They had already won promotion through the play-offs in 1995-96 under Chris Kamara and again in 2012-13 under Phil Parkinson, while their last play-off run ended in a semi-final loss to Carlisle in League Two in 2022-23.
The gap to the second tier has been long. Bradford had not been back there since relegation in 2004, and this run carried the chance to end a 22-year wait. Their league form against Bolton suggested how little separated the sides: Bradford had scored four goals in their last nine visits to Bolton in all competitions, while Bolton had lost only two of their last 20 matches against them in all competitions.
Power And Cozier-Duberry
Max Power gives Bradford a clear edge on set pieces. He ranked fourth in League One for chances created from set plays and fifth for passes into the opposition box, and he had already played in five EFL play-off matches, including Sunderland’s campaigns in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Bolton had their own threat through Amario Cozier-Duberry, who ranked first among players under 21 across the three EFL divisions for assists, shots and chances created in 2025-26. He also ranked second in that age group for dribbles and touches in the opposition box, giving Bolton a direct route through a tie that had already produced draws in the league and has now moved into knockout territory with both sides carrying promotion pressure and recent history into the same fixture.
