Wanderers' Mid-Week Missions - Does The FA Care About Fans?

Even the most hardcore follower of Bolton Wanderers will find their resolve tested as the FA's fixture computer dealt up mid-week away trips totalling more than 2,000 miles (based, for the purpose of this article, on Bolton fans living in Bolton).

Wanderers have been handed six mid-week away matches this season, of which four are at clubs in, near or beyond London - begging the question, does the FA care about fans?

The second away fixture of the season sees Bolton make the trek down to Milton Keynes to face the newly promoted MK Dons on Tuesday 18th August. Fans keen to watch our first ever game at Stadium MK will face the small matter of a 326-mile round trip.

Three months later, on 3rd November, Wanderers have been handed a Tuesday night trip to Ipswich Town, which fades the MK mission into significance with a whopping 482-mile round trip. Wanderers fans were also forced to make the same journey to see their side play Ipswich away on a Tuesday night last season.

Roll the clock on another month to 15th December and Bolton face a trip into south London to face Charlton, yet again on a Tuesday night - and, like Ipswich, we also visited Charlton on a Tuesday night last season. This away fixture offers Bolton dwelling fans a 464-mile round trip.

Early in January, Bolton face a lesser mid-week journey to Sheffield Wednesday, which is just the 106-mile round trip. Then a month later Wanderers' next midweek exploit sends us to Birmingham City, which offers a 194-mile round trip on Tuesday 23rd February.

The final planned mid-week journey of the season sees Bolton take the long jaunt down to west London to face Brentford, posing a 434-mile round trip.

Some of our far-away opponents also face long mid-week journeys up to the Macron, with Birmingham making the 194-mile round trip on Tuesday 20th October, Ipswich having to trek the 482 miles to Bolton and back on Tuesday 8th March, and Charlton fans facing the 464-mile round trip on Tuesday 19th April.

The frequency at which fans will have to make long journeys on a week day will be a test of even the most committed Wanderers followers - i.e. Fat Frank. It also raises the question of whether the FA cares about fans, and why it insists on imposing far away fixtures that will clearly restrict or put fans off going to support their team.

Will you be making the long mid-week trips south next season, or has the distance put you off? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below!