It all went downhill from this point forward !!!

I went to Wembley today to watch my club , "The One and Only Wanderers"... Bolton Wanderers, play Oxford United in the EFL L1 Play Off Final.

This is the scene minutes before kick off (a stupid KO time of 4.15 pm... all for TV...not the fans)

We lost 2-0, an awful performance, one of the worst Ive seen , and I've seen some rubbish since I first went in 1967 !!!! over 32,000 Bolton fans were let down.

The players were clueless and all Oxford needed to do to beat us was be organised and rough us up a bit (which they did, clattering into our midfield string maestro in the first minute) . Having said that the best team won.

Rant over, disappointment over, no football now until August. England and Scotland are in the Euros, but international football doesn't count as club football is all that matters to the discerning football supporter.

[Pat Knowles]

So disappointing for you Phil…. Did the occasion get to them? Big match for promotion too! Ah well until the next time!

[Dianne]

Roll on August and hope for some improvement!

[Brigette]

What an awesome crowd

[Phil Howcroft]

@happypat Pat, we were rubbish , didn't turn up !!!!

[Corinne C]

Oh my, the crowd is incredible! Ive never been to such a sports event. This is an impressive shot.
Such a disappointment for the supporters who went to the event.

[Phil Howcroft]

@dide me too dianne

[Zilli~]

Wow, It must have been a treat just to be in the stadium.

[Mags]

Wow! That's quite the crowd capture.

[Issi Bannerman]

Massive crowd and a great image. Sorry you were let down. :-(

[Casablanca]

Ah, so sorry the performance was so bad. Yes, the timing is all about TV sponsorship and nothing to do with the convenience of the players or the fans! Very frustrating. But you got a great shot of this iconic arena and the fans.

[william wooderson]

I hope you didn't spend too much on your ticket then!! But you certainly capture the scene well in your photo.

[Hazel]

I am not a football fan Phil but I sincerely feel your disappointment.

[Rob Z]

Wow - what a huge crowd for soccer game. ! Such an impressive image..

[Dione Giorgio]

So impressive to see Wembley stadium packed with so many thousands of people. Sorry for Bolton. Thanks for sharing.

[Judith Johnson]

Oh dear, so disappointing 😞

[Judith Johnson]

Peter had a similar experience with Sunderland in 1990. They played Swindon in the playoff final, and lost 1-0 after a very poor performance. After a discrepancy with Swindon, Sunderland were promoted anyway and had a very difficult year in the then 1st division. They were relegated the next year

[Philippa R]

Oh Phil, so sorry about the result and the team's performance :( But they'll be back better than ever next year and that's a great photo!

[Phil Howcroft]

@busylady Thanks Judith , I remember the Swindon incident , they were relegated for illegal payments to players

[Carole Sandford]

A great venue, if a rubbish outcome! It was a day out Phil, if nothing else & there’s always next season 😜

[Renee Salamon]

Sorry Phil😔 we’re going to get smashed in the FA Cup final so I’m sympathetic