Bolton boss Schumacher saw Ruben Rodrigues start and finish the scoring in a 4-1 League One play-off final victory against Stockport to secure Wanderers’ second-tier status.

Second-half substitute Sam Dalby and a Kyle Wootton own goal completed the rout.

Adama Sidibeh had made it 1-1 for Stockport in the first half and saw another goal ruled out after a VAR review.

Technology also contributed to referee Josh Smith sending off Bolton old boy Josh Dacres-Cogley in stoppage time for a hair pull on Ibrahim Cissoko.

“We will get to work straight away because we now know where we will be playing,” said Schumacher, who guided Plymouth into the Championship in 2023.

“But we had two lists of players; one for League One and one for the Championship.

“However, we are going to need investment because the Championship is probably the hardest league in Europe to get out of.

“The first step was to get there. Now we will attack the next level, but our first objective will be to sustain Championship football.”

Dalby needed only four minutes to make his first contribution, playing in Amario Cozier-Duberry whose shot was saved by Corey Addai but ricocheted off Wootton into the net.

His second was a stunning overhead kick after 84 minutes before Rodrigues converted a stoppage-time spot-kick.

“It’s a tough task trying to convince players who are not starting ‘this is the reason we are playing this player ahead of you’,” said Schumacher of Dalby’s omission from the starting line-up.

“Sam is the prime example of what a professional needs to look like. When I explained to him he wasn’t playing, he accepted and agreed. But he also knew he would play a huge part and he did.”

County boss Dave Challinor said: “Half-time came at a bad time. In the second half we looked as flat as a pancake.

“I said at half-time the game was there to kick on and to go and take. But we needed to win individual duals and track runners. We didn’t do either of those things for the second goal and paid the ultimate penalty.”

Challinor was unhappy with both VAR calls. “I don’t think it was a foul,” he said of Sidibeh’s coming together with George Johnston that went in Bolton’s favour.

“If it was Adama running through and he had gone down, would we have been given a free-kick or penalty? I think we all know we wouldn’t.

“The second was a disgraceful decision. How can something be violent conduct when you are not looking at the player? He will probably get a three-game ban now and it’s scandalous.”