On The Road
GALLOWS HUMOUR AT CLUB ON BRINK OF EXTINCTION BOLTON BATTLE ON THE PITCH AND FANS SHOW DEFIANCE OFF IT
WYCOMBE 2 BOLTON 0
GEOFF has been watching Bolton Wanderers for 50 years. Today he’s at Adams Park with Pete, who is closing in on his own half-century. They are scanning the team sheet ahead of the League One opener at Wycombe.
Halfway down the list of players cobbled together by Bolton boss Phil Parkinson, Geoff stops. ‘I’ve never heard of him,’ he says. Pete had already backed this team of strangers at 14-1.
A chant ripples through the gathering away contingent. ‘We’ve got a team,’ they sing. ‘It’s full of kids, it’s full of kids, we’ve got a team.’
If you can’t laugh, what can you do? Bolton began the day with seven senior players. Two are goalkeepers and one — Josh Magennis — refused to travel.
‘We travelled down last night but the youthteam manager Nicky Spooner and Gavin McCann drove down some of the scholars this morning,’ Parkinson said.
Only 13 Bolton names appeared in the programme but after three new deals were sanctioned at 11.30am, they fielded a squad of 16 come kick-off. All but three were potential debutants.
Eleven minutes later, they were down to 15 as Josh Earl went off injured. On hand was the club doctor, who hasn’t been paid for a year but told Parkinson he wanted to help.
Against the odds, Bolton battled brilliantly, but as young legs tired, goals from Paul Smyth and Fred Onyedinma gave Wycombe a 2-0 win.
The visitors are on -12 points, deducted because the club went into administration in May. And in the table, Bolton are now below even Bury, whose opening two matches have been suspended amid financial turmoil.
Come the final whistle, though, Parkinson’s ragtag squad were given a heroes’ send-off by the 1,660 travelling fans. These are strange times at one of the Football League’s founder members. Among that sea of white, there was no sign of the sponsorless Hummel kit worn by the Bolton XI. That strip was only revealed on Friday and is not available to buy. Nor are season tickets. For weeks, there were doubts whether this game would even take place.
Under the ownership of Ken Anderson, Bolton are now on the brink of extinction. During 2016- 17, their last season in League One, Anderson was paid £525,000 in consultancy fees. But as debts mounted, players and staff went months without pay.
Last season, Bolton were relegated amid fan protests and player strikes. This summer the squad returned to find the changing rooms locked and no hot water. A takeover by the Football Ventures consortium has dragged on, pushing Bolton ever closer to the fourth tier.
Some of the prospective buyers were at Adams Park and incoming owner Sharon Brittan met the players. ‘She’ll be a breath of fresh air,’ Parkinson said.
He and his players were even paid before the game. But the human cost has been monumental. ‘I know people who work at the club and they’ve been living off foodbanks, which is shocking,’ Bolton fan Matthew said.
‘F*** the EFL,’ and ‘F*** Ken Anderson,’ Bolton fans sang. Magennis took flak, too, but Parkinson reminded fans: ‘Josh hasn’t been paid for five months... the mental torment the lads have been through has been at a level I’ve never experienced before.’ Without Magennis, Bolton showed great spirit, typified by 21-year-old Yoan Zouma, younger brother of Chelsea’s Kurt.
‘We love you Bolton, we do,’ the fans sang after the final whistle. Even Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth applauded.
Zouma smiled as the fans saluted his display, which, along with that of his team-mates, had given hope to those facing the long trip home. The impending takeover would represent the end of the beginning — they still need a hatful of new players to arrest their freefall. But, for now, concerns like that can wait.
‘A fantastic day,’ one fan said afterwards. They haven’t had many of those recently.