Bolton Wanderers Vs Wrexham

Matchday 69 was a welcome change from the long haul of the previous day, and thanks to the generosity of Bolton Wanderers and Bluelight Tickets, the match was complimentary—a big help in our ongoing challenge. We’re truly grateful to both, as every little bit counts!

Our journey to Bolton took just over two hours, and traffic was surprisingly manageable for a weekend. Despite taking a wrong turn off the M6, we arrived in Bolton just before 13:30. Finding parking initially seemed like it might be tricky, but we soon discovered the large car parks right outside the stadium. The parking instructions indicated a fee of £8 for up to 10 hours, but after downloading the required app, we were pleasantly surprised to be charged only £5.25—a great deal compared to what we’ve paid at other venues on this journey.

While sorting out parking, I encountered a Wrexham supporter who was struggling to access the app due to poor internet service. I offered to share my phone’s hotspot, allowing him to pay for his parking. We had a nice chat about our football challenge, and after about 10 minutes, we joined the crowd heading toward the stadium.

We decided to explore the stadium and find the club shop and ticket office. Unfortunately, we walked in the wrong direction and ended up doing a full loop around the outside of the stadium. When we finally found the club shop, we were met with a massive queue, with many fans voicing their frustration. I left Liam in the queue and quickly headed to the ticket office next door to collect our tickets—a process that was thankfully quick and smooth. By the time I rejoined Liam, we had spent over 30 minutes in the queue just to buy a scarf. The shop was large, but with only four staff members serving, the wait times were ridiculous. Many fans likely missed the start of the match; we didn’t leave the shop until about 14:35, giving us just enough time to power walk to our turnstiles.

Once inside the stadium, we made a quick stop at the toilets before finding our seats. The atmosphere was electric, with the Wrexham fans, who were seated close to us on the left and above us in the upper tier, creating a deafening noise. It was one of the loudest environments we’ve experienced, and despite their best efforts, the Bolton fans couldn’t out-sing the Welsh supporters.

The match itself was an intense, end-to-end affair, but poor finishing from both sides meant it ended in a second consecutive 0-0 draw for us in 24 hours. At halftime, we tried to grab some refreshments, but the queues were horrendous, adding to the frustrations we encountered earlier at the club shop.

Leaving the stadium after the match was as chaotic as expected, with the stadium parking leading to a lengthy wait. Once we finally got on the motorway, our journey home was smooth until we hit the M6 near Junction 10, where we decided to exit and take an alternative route.

Despite a few hiccups, the overall experience was positive, and we want to extend our thanks again to Bolton Wanderers and Bluelight Tickets for making this matchday possible. Now, we’re looking forward to Matchday 70, where we’ll be visiting The Valley and enjoying complimentary hospitality—a treat we’re really excited about!

5 Facts About Bolton Wanderers FC:

1. Historic Club: Founded in 1874 as Christ Church FC, Bolton Wanderers is one of the oldest football clubs in England, and they were one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888.
2. FA Cup Success: Bolton Wanderers have won the FA Cup four times, with their first victory coming in 1923 in the famous “White Horse Final” at Wembley Stadium.
3. Iconic Stadium: Bolton’s home ground, the University of Bolton Stadium, formerly known as the Reebok Stadium, opened in 1997 and is known for its modern design and facilities. It replaced the club’s old ground, Burnden Park, which had been their home for over 100 years.
4. Premier League Stint: Bolton enjoyed a successful spell in the Premier League during the early 2000s, finishing as high as 6th in the 2004-2005 season under manager Sam Allardyce, which earned them a place in the UEFA Cup.
5. Community Ownership: In recent years, Bolton has faced financial difficulties but was saved from liquidation in 2019 when the Football Ventures consortium took over, helping to secure the club’s future and ensuring it remained a central part of the Bolton community.