The ball hung in the air for what seemed an eternity before dropping to Bolton Wanderers' Sam Dalby, positioned on the six-yard line with his back to the 28,000 sun-baked Trotters supporters packed into Wembley Stadium.
Having orchestrated the goal that put his side 2-1 ahead with a defence-splitting flick moments after his introduction, Dalby firmly etched his name into Bolton folklore. Almost falling backwards under the grasp of desperate Hatters defender Ethan Pye, the No 10 flung his left foot into the air, connecting perfectly with an overhead kick to send the ball past the helpless Corey Addai.
This was the moment that decided this year's League One winner-takes-all showpiece. The fourth goal that followed, a penalty from Ruben Rodrigues, was merely the icing on the cake for Bolton fans who have endured so much suffering.
The victory rectified the wrongs of two summers ago when they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Oxford United. From August, the Trotters will grace the second tier of English football once again, eight years after they dropped out of the division.
Steven Schumacher spoke of an 'expectation' before this clash that Bolton would return to the division where they belong. Considerable weight rested on his side's shoulders heading into this momentous occasion, and they held their nerve admirably.
On an afternoon when temperatures soared past 30C in the capital, it took less than three minutes for Bolton to take the lead. Thierry Gale, a constant threat, struck a speculative effort from distance towards the bottom corner. Hatters keeper Corey Addai parried straight to Mason Burstow, whose cross was blocked to Rodrigues. With an almost open goal gaping, the Portuguese side-footed home his first of the day.
Stockport grew into the game thereafter. Oliver Norwood probed with balls from deep and, on 10 minutes, found Adama Sidibeh with a ball over the top. The striker found the net, only for VAR to rule it out for an earlier foul.
Yet it was just 19 minutes later that Stockport standout Sidibeh got his goal. The 27-year-old flicked home a delightfully curling ball from the left before taunting the Trotters fans away to his right.
A typically cagey period followed until, on 62 minutes, Dalby carved open the Stockport defence with a sumptuous left-foot flick. It found star man Cozier-Duberry, who found the net with the help of Kyle Wootton's heel.
With County wilting in the London sunshine, Bolton asserted their dominance from that point. Dalby made it three with his acrobatic strike, sending the Bolton end into pandemonium, before his side were awarded a penalty in added time for a Josh Dacres-Cogley hair-pull on Ibrahim Cissoko in the box. Rodrigues stepped up, slotting the ball into the bottom corner to complete his brace and put the final out of Stockport's reach.
By that point, many of the Stockport faithful had already begun their pilgrimage back to the north-west. Here, they stumbled at the last hurdle despite enjoying large periods of possession.
The Bolton supporters stayed long after the final whistle. At times, Wembley felt more akin to sitting in the stands at their home in Greater Manchester. A sleeping giant has awakened, after a long period out in the wilderness.
