Bolton fans help record the largest attendance anywhere in Europe this weekend for EFL Trophy Final
Bolton Wanderers made it a historic visit to Wembley this weekend, not only managing to win their first trip to the national stadium in over a decade, but also managing the largest attendance anywhere in Europe.
Your regular reminder that Greater Manchester is absolutely massive, in every sense of the word.
Putting four fine finishes past Plymouth Argyle to win the EFL Trophy on Sunday, The Trotters made it an emphatic victory 100 years on from becoming the first team to lift the FA Cup at Wembley in the legendary ‘White Horse Final’, where upwards of 200,000 fans are thought to have attended.
The EFL Trophy was their first piece of silverware in 34 years, so it was only fitting that more than 34,000 Wanderers joined Plymouth fans in descending on Wembley to cheer on their team — the highest anywhere on the continent across this round of fixtures. Mint.
After sending the travelling fans into raptures barely four minutes into the game with Kyle Dempsey’s opener, and then again just a few minutes later through Dion Charles, Bolton’s supremacy was cemented right from the off.
Elias Kachunga’s calmy-slotted effort just as early into the second half made it 3-0 and effectively killed off the game there and then. Thankfully, once again, the away support who had journeyed more than 200 miles were treated to a fourth and final goal barely three minutes later. Wonderland.
Manager Ian Evatt said after the game, “I’m extremely proud of the way the players performed on the big stage and I’m extremely proud of this football club”.
It was a good day to be a Bolton fan, as you can see:
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Hinting at Bolton’s precarious situation just a few years ago — when they nearly went bust entirely — Evatt went on to acknowledge: “We’ve had a hell of a journey. We almost lost it. Sharon and the ownership group have saved the football club and rebuilt it from top to bottom.”
“We’ve built a connection with the fan base, with the town, with the community”, he added, declaring the team as the “heartbeat” of the town and that “you could feel that connection with the 34,000+ fans that travelled.”
He concluded by stating that the club “owed them a good day like this and that “this is hopefully the first of many.” Congratulations to the Bolton boys and well done to the fans for turning up in their droves
You can watch highlights of Bolton Wanderers vs Plymouth Argyle in the Papa John’s Trophy final down below:
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Featured Image — Bolton Wanderers (via Twitter)