Match Facts   

                           No.49 - Sun. 4th March 2007; The Premiership                               13.35pm at the Reebok Stadium, Burnden Way, Lostock, Bolton (att: 21743; prog: 88pp, £3) 

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Bolton Wanderers (0) 1  Blackburn Rovers (0) 2

Wanderers pay the penalty in local derby defeat

A smashing weekend of  football was rounded off with a visit to the Reebok Stadium for the visit of local rivals Blackburn Rovers. This was also quite a milestone as it was unbelievably my first ever visit to watch a Premiership game!! Being a Hull City fan does have its limitation I suppose!! Since completing the '92', my list of new Premiership and Football League grounds still 'to do' has steadily increased, so the chance to tick one off was taken when I was able to order tickets for the game late on Friday afternoon. 

An early arrival on Sunday morning allowed us to park close to the ground and sample the atmosphere dampened somewhat by strong gale force winds and driving rain. 'The words It's grim up North' certainly had a ring of truth about them!  To avoid being ripped off by the matchday caterers we purchased a hot brunch from the local Tesco (Horwich branch) next door before making our way to the ticket office.

Despite getting a good soaking for the best part of ninety minutes we had a decent view of the action from the lower section in the North stand behind the goal. The game, televised on Sky TV, was fast- paced and skilful but lacked any clear-cut chances. The spectacle came to life in the second half when Rovers were awarded two penalties, converted by the in-form Benny McCarthy. There were no complaints and the referee was spot on (literally!). Some Wanderers' fans sitting close to us had become increasingly frustrated by now and started to turn on their own team with El-Hadjii Diouf coming in for loads of stick. Others showed their disapproval by leaving their seats and making for the exits. Sadly they missed what was a most thrilling finale. With three minutes remaining Anelka pulled one back to give his side a glimmer of  hope. Deep into injury time, Faye rose high above his markers and sent a looping header into the net for the equaliser. The home crowd roared as the players celebrated this late goal. Their joy was only short-lived as excitement quickly turned to dispair; with a firm grip on his flag and with outstretched the arm, the refereee's assistant to our left signalled for offside. It was now the turn of the Rovers fans at the far end to make the most noise and they did!  The whistle blew for full-time. Match result, an away win!

Had it been worth it? Well for the sheer excitement and unique experience of watching a top class game, I reckon it had. After all, the price of our tickets was quite reasonable, the programme was superb and we found a great place to park (free). Any reservations? Apart from the poor weather I was not overly impressed by a section of home fans who seemed to barrack their own players throughout the game -they call themselves supporters. Maybe it's old age or am I more at home with those roped off fields! The joys of hopping (even in the rain)! 

FGIF Rating: 4*

Links 

 Map Match Report l Bolton Wanderers FC website