What the managers have said ahead of the 25/26 League One playoff semi final 1st leg

We take a look at what the managers have said ahead of the 25/26 League One playoff semi final 1st leg taking place this weekend.

League One play-off schedule

Play-off semi-final first legs
Stevenage vs Stockport – Saturday May 9, kick-off 3pm
Bolton vs Bradford – Saturday May 9, kick-off 8pm

Play-off semi-final second legs
Stockport vs Stevenage – Wednesday May 13, kick-off 8pm
Bradford vs Bolton – Thursday May 14, kick-off 8pm

Play-off final
Sunday May 24, Wembley Stadium

SKY BET ODDS:

Bolton – 13/8
Stockport – 9/4
Bradford – 7/2
Stevenage – 9/2

Bolton boss Steven Schumacher said to BBC Radio Manchester: “We’ve been to Bradford only two weeks ago, so we’ve proved that we can go there and perform and perform well.

“If we can get ourselves an advantage in the home leg, then we’re confident we can go there and get the result that we need.

“I think every game’s intense, I don’t think there’s been one this year where I can sit back and relax.

“I’m sure it will be no different on Saturday and next week. It’s two teams that are desperate to win it, they know what the ultimate prize is, the trip to Wembley to get yourself in a Championship.”

On if there is any disappointment regarding his side’s defensive efforts throughout the season, defender Chris Forino said to BBC Radio Manchester: “It’s got us into the play-offs.

“Both [with] the amount of goals scored and the amount of goals we’ve conceded, we are in a position to achieve the goal that we set out to achieve at the start of season.”

On if there are any nerves in facing Bradford, Forino added: “I can only speak for myself, but no. I think it’s not nerves, it’s excitement.

“I think you want to play in games like this, games where there’s something on the line. I’m excited.”

Bradford’s Graham Alexander spoke on the play-off semi-final second leg being at home, saying, as per The Telegraph and Argus: “I don’t believe it makes a massive difference. I could be wrong and I haven’t looked at the data whether it pans out that way playing the second leg at home.

“There are always a few myths flying around in football. But there are four good teams in the play-offs who have won a lot of games, that’s it.

“Everyone has been at the top end of the table. If you look at the teams in it, there’s been no real late surge from anybody who hasn’t been up and around it anyway.

“The first leg is up to half time. The tie is played over two 90 minutes or more. I’ve been involved in a lot of play-offs and I seriously couldn’t tell you if it was better being at home in the second leg rather than the first.

“We know both league games against Bolton have been really tight affairs and I don’t expect it to be any different in the play-offs.”

On Bobby Pointon: “He trained in the same venue as us on Friday. We trained over in Manchester because we were flying down to Exeter.

“He was out on the pitch with Bobby Scarborough and said he felt much better. I think he had a positive day Saturday morning as well, so that was good.

“I don’t think he’ll be ready or available for Saturday’s game. But I spoke to Bobby on Thursday and he was absolutely desperate for us to qualify for the play-offs.

“I think he’s trying to do everything he can to be available for us. We’d love to have him and Tyreik (Wright) but if we haven’t got them, you’ve seen the performance of the team and it’s been superb. The more good players we can have available for us, the stronger we’ll be.”

Stockport boss Dave Challinor told BBC Radio Manchester: “We have an opportunity that everyone’s worked the socks off for from the start the season to become a Championship team, a Championship club and with Championship players.

“I remember saying when we were in the National League that everything for me was about being an English Football League manager.

“To be able to say what I’m saying now is unthinkable from where I was sort of five years ago.

“So is there pressure? Of course there’s pressure, but we’re in a really privileged position to be one of four teams that are still competing in a play-off place to join Cardiff and Lincoln in the Championship.

“I’ve been through absolutely everything in terms of what the play-off brings. I’ve lost in an eliminator, won an eliminator, lost in a semi-final, won in a semi-final, won a final, lost a final, won on penalties, lost on penalties endless times.

“I have had goalkeepers score against me. It brings everything. The experience just allows us, from my perspective, to prepare a little bit clearer.

“If you want to look at what statistics look like, we’ve got no chance of getting promoted out of these play-offs because we’ve lost to Bradford twice, we’ve lost to Stevenage twice, we’ve beat Bolton on the first game of the season, when we were probably a little bit fortunate, and we drew away.

“So, of the four teams based on previous records, then it doesn’t bode well for us, but that means absolutely nothing.

“This is about moments in games, performing under pressure on an evening and on a weekend, and then a potential final in a really big stadium in front of a massive crowd. Emotions and people’s psychology can be impacted by that.”

🤞 “Hopefully this year will be our year”

Stockport boss Dave Challinor has experienced the play-offs in 1⃣0⃣ different seasons as a manager.

🤔 What will happen in 2026?

🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/xu6KBm4tYs#stockportcounty #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/Z81R8pH7Yr

— BBC Sport Manchester (@BBCRMsport) May 8, 2026

Stevenage’s Alex Revell said to BBC Three Counties Radio: “You saw what it meant to people that day, you saw what it meant to the players, to the staff, to the chairman, the directors, every single person was pushing in the right direction.

“Saturday was an emotional day for everybody because of the way it happened, the celebrations – people expected us to drop out [of the play-off spots] and that’s been there all year.

“It was great to have that occasion on Saturday, for our players to have that feeling of walking out into a full stadium at home, they’ve experienced that emotion so they already know what it feels like.

“Now it’s for us to go and showcase in two fantastic games why we’ve got to where we are,” he said.

“These are almost cup ties and we have to make sure that we’re ourselves, and we continue to do the things that have got us to where we are, manage emotions, manage each other – but also you have to enjoy it, you have to embrace it.

“We’ve put this club on the map massively and people are now looking in and wondering what we’re doing. It’s a brilliant achievement but let’s go one further.

“We’ve got into this situation above some incredible teams and managers, and players, so let’s go and be the best us.

“If we do the basics really well, that we’ve done all year, then hopefully the result will be in our favour.”