SOUL OF SPORT: Bolton beat Plymouth to win the Papa Johns Trophy

SOUL OF SPORT: Bolton thumped League One rivals Plymouth to win the Papa Johns Trophy on a magical Wembley day for their travelling 35,000 fans… ANDY HOOPER captured all the emotions and drama in pictures

  • Every Monday, our Soul of Sport series will take readers behind the scenes at top sporting events
  • Andy Hooper was at Wembley to watch Bolton clinch the Papa Johns Trophy with a 4-0 win over Plymouth  
  • His photographs capture all the emotion, ecstasy and heartache that fans and players experienced

Welcome back to the Soul of Sport. In the sixth episode of the series, ANDY HOOPER was at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to watch Bolton beat League One rivals Plymouth 4-0 to win the Papa Johns trophy. 

Though not regarded as one of the biggest trophies in the game, you could tell what the trip to Wembley meant for both sets of supporters, with 79,389 fans in attendance. There was significant excitement, anguish and elation as Bolton romped home to what proved to be a comfortable victory on Sunday afternoon at England’s most famous stadium.  Our man used a Nikon Z9 camera and 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses to capture the action.

Bolton lifted the Papa Johns Trophy at Wembley on Sunday afternoon after a superb 4-0 win over League One rivals Plymouth

Bolton were in complete control of the game from beginning to end, scoring the first of their four goals after just four minutes

While the Papa Johns Trophy is not regarded as one of the biggest competitions, 79,000 fans showed what it meant to them

On the morning of the match the Wembley arch is seen here popping over the rooftops of houses near the stadium

The atmosphere started to build hours before the match with Bolton fans seen here sliding down the railings outside Wembley

Young Plymouth supporter Joshua Morton is seen admiring the famous Bobby Moore statue outside Wembley Stadium

A young Plymouth fan is seen playing with a vuvuzela as fans enjoyed themselves near Wembley in the build-up to the game

Plymouth fan Tatsuki Usui travelled from Japan especially for the game – and he is somewhat of a Plymouth celebrity

Plymouth fans were in great spirits before the game, with some fans getting a pre-match pint down them before the game

There were some interesting outfits on display as shown by these Plymouth fans wearing hot dog and pizza hats

Bolton’s self-proclaimed No 1 fan is seen on Wembley Way heading to the stadium for the biggest match of their season

A Plymouth supporter shows off the tattoos on his neck and the back of his head as he enjoys the pre-match build-up

Plymouth fans found it hard to watch as they watched their team get humbled thanks to an excellent showing by Bolton

Bolton fans also found the game hard to watch – only due to the sun glaring down on Wembley rather than their side’s display

Bolton fans celebrate a goal during the second-half of the match with fans safe in the knowledge that the trophy was theirs

Plymouth fans remained hopeful that their side could mount a fightback but ultimately it wasn’t their day at Wembley

Bolton fans ultimately had a lot to smile about after goals from Kyle Dempsey, Dion Charles, Elias Kachunga and Gethin Jones

The staggering attendance of 79,389 made it the most attended game of any match across Europe over the weekend

Bolton players rush to their supporters just moments after they were presented with the Papa Johns Trophy after the match

Some Bolton fans stayed as late as they could to savour the post-match celebrations, including this young supporter

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