Finally

The new normal for Saturday afternoons has changed drastically in the last year. Instead of travelling to the UNIBOL or making the arduous journey to an away ground by train or coach, we’ve been used to loading up ifollow and settling on the sofa to watch our beloved Bolton Wanderers from a distance.

Aside from the lucky few who got to witness the last minute winner at Cheltenham, the dramatic draw at Carlisle or joining in with the celebrations at Crawley or back at the stadium in the middle of the night, the majority of us have been longing to see Wanderers in the flesh again.

Finally, tomorrow is that day.

A couple hundred fans will travel the short distance across Lancashire to catch of glimpse of Ian Evatt’s Bolton Wanderers take on Longridge Town. After eighteen months of watching on a screen, I am beyond ecstatic to be able to go to an actual stadium to watch a game of football once again.

It’s been an odd eighteen months. Despite not being able to attend games, the bond between the club and the fans is stronger than it has been since the glory days of the Big Sam era. We’ve gone from nearly ceasing to exist two years ago to being a settled club with good foundations for the future. We’ve got a team we can be proud of managed by someone with lofty ambitions. It’s an unbelievably exciting time to a fan of this club.

It’s been fantastic to see season ticket sales break the 9000 mark this week. There’s an enthusiasm to support this club that just hasn’t been there during the difficult years. With the appetite for some normality of going to a football match coupled with the fact that we’re actually exciting to watch, I see no reason why the club can’t hit 10,000 season ticket holders by the time we face MK Dons at home in August.

I’m probably not going to get much sleep tonight. I feel like a kid at Christmas. I’m seeing Bolton Wanderers live again tomorrow & I can’t bloody wait.

COYW