The Flashing Light Scandal at Bolton Wanderers

On a very pleasant Spring evening, Bolton Wanderers faced off against Charlton Athletic in what would eventually transpire to be a rather disappointing 1-1 draw. With Adam Le Fondre's dragged finish cancelling out Federic Bulot's first half volley.

Plenty of talking points came out of the game, such as: how is Liam Feeney consistently picked week after week? Is Rochinha good enough? Does the 5-3-2 formation work? Why is our defence so pish? Should Tom Walker be rested? Isn't Mark Davies a fantastic player?

No doubt we'll discuss all these and more in the newest episode of the world's greatest Bolton Wanderers podcast.

But perhaps the most contentious, most divisive moment of the entire game didn't actually happen on the pitch. No, I'm not talking about Chris Eagles' very mixed reception. I am, of course, talking about the strange occurrence that happened in the second half involving the crowd and their mobile phones.

About midway through the second half, when the game had a reached a particular slump in proceedings, fans in all four corners of the ground took it upon themselves to create their own entertainment.

Hundreds of supporters took to the torches on their mobile phones to create a firefly/starlight affect, which was certainly a distraction from the actual action on the pitch, as the chilly night got ever darker.

I still have absolutely no idea what started it initially, and what possessed everyone else to then join in and flash a light of their own, but it undeniable galvanised the crowd and created a bit of atmosphere, at least for a brief period.

As is usually the case with ever sombre Bolton fans, however, the move was met with quite a bit of anguish after the game was brought to a finish. For instance, friend of the site @Jake_BWFC said:

"It's a pointless thing to do, it's embarrassing. I was at Preston and they did it and it's stupid."

And he wasn't alone in his distaste for the flickering lights, with several others (no, I haven't counted) airing their disapproval too.

Our very own Chris Manning said:

"It looks ace, I don't care what any other people think. It was more entertaining than the first half anyway."

So in this modern, internet age, where everyone has to have an opinion on everything, I thought I'd weigh in. But since my godly opinion will be published on this here prestigious publication it means more, you see.

I've got to say, my feelings are quite mixed on the matter. On one hand it looked pretty cool and did, even if for just a little while, increase the volume inside the Macron. Plus, fans are allowed to have a bit of fun if they want to, it's not a prison, as much as it may feel like it at times.

But on the other hand, it did look a bit, for a lack of a better term, wanky. More like something you'd see during a live rendition of Coldplay's 'Fix You', rather than a football match. Also, it is quite bad when a bunch of flashing lights in the crowd is more interesting than what is actually happening on the pitch. But ultimately, I'm just about down for anything that improves the horrendous atmosphere at The Mac.

Whatever the case, if the team brought more sparkle on their own accord, the fans wouldn't need to create their own.