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It's matchday at Wanderers on Saturday, but not as we know it!
Exactly 27 weeks since their last home game against Accrington Stanley in League One, Bolton will host Bradford City in the Carabao Cup to kick-off the new season.
The ‘new normal’ will mean no fans, for now. And it will be to an eerily quiet atmosphere that Ian Evatt walks out of the tunnel as Bolton Wanderers manager for the first time to take his place in the dugout.
It is likely that just four players who featured in the 0-0 draw against Stanley will be present again in the match day squad. Ryan Delaney is still with the Whites, Ali Crawford and Ronan Darcy re-signed for the club during the summer and Matt Alexander, who penned his first professional contract, will also be the bench.
That means a club record for debutants could be set, the previous benchmark being eight new players who took to the field during the 2-0 defeat against Wycombe Wanderers in August 2019.
Everywhere you look at the UniBol this weekend there will be a reminder that while football has returned, one eye is still fixed firmly on safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
A ‘Red Zone’ has been designated to allow players, coaching staff and match officials exclusive access to the dressing rooms, technical areas and pitch. Such is the unique design of Bolton’s stadium that it has separate home and away tunnels – which removes one of the pre match ‘pinch points’ that have been a concern elsewhere.
The ‘Amber Zone’ will include interior areas of the stadium, including the press room.
One way systems are now in place in internal corridors, with regular hand sanitisation points and signage to ensure people maintain social distancing. Only one person at a time will be able to use one of two reception lifts.
All non-essential staff who report to the stadium will have to complete a questionnaire and be temperature checked before they are allowed access, and face masks will be required in all communal areas.
Media applications are normally restricted only to licensed organisations – but Wanderers have employed even stricter rules for Saturday’s game to ensure there is adequate spacing in the press box.
Post-match interviews will not take place in the tunnel, as would normally be the case, and are expected to be conducted at a distance in the media suite or outdoors in the press box area.
Fans will be able to follow the game on Matchday Live via The Bolton News’ website and tune in to radio commentary on BBC Radio Manchester or Bolton FM, who will also be supplying audio for the iFollow feed, available at the cost of £10.
Aside from the selected press, there will be only a small number of people in the stands, including a handful from visitors Bradford in the directors’ box. A limit of three seats have also been made available for visiting scouts.
Exactly when fans will return to the UniBol remains an unanswered question and the club have monitored the local situation closely, liaising with council officials and the EFL on a regular basis.
It is hoped the phased return of supporters will begin in October, and several officials in Leagues One and Two have outlined their plans for social distancing, catering for between 20 and 25 per cent of current capacity.
With more than 7,000 season tickets already sold, Wanderers are already pushing the levels of that allowance. But it is understood that the stadium’s modern and open design – which saw it ear-marked for potential use by the Premier League during Operation Restart if a neutral venue was needed – will give the club some scope for manoeuvre.
Detailed discussions will continue in the coming weeks and the club is confident that barring a massive surge in ticket sales in the coming weeks, or a serious downturn in the local coronavirus situation, that they will be cleared by the local Safety Advisory Group to bring in every season ticket holder when the government signal is it time.
Source
Exactly 27 weeks since their last home game against Accrington Stanley in League One, Bolton will host Bradford City in the Carabao Cup to kick-off the new season.
The ‘new normal’ will mean no fans, for now. And it will be to an eerily quiet atmosphere that Ian Evatt walks out of the tunnel as Bolton Wanderers manager for the first time to take his place in the dugout.
It is likely that just four players who featured in the 0-0 draw against Stanley will be present again in the match day squad. Ryan Delaney is still with the Whites, Ali Crawford and Ronan Darcy re-signed for the club during the summer and Matt Alexander, who penned his first professional contract, will also be the bench.
That means a club record for debutants could be set, the previous benchmark being eight new players who took to the field during the 2-0 defeat against Wycombe Wanderers in August 2019.
Everywhere you look at the UniBol this weekend there will be a reminder that while football has returned, one eye is still fixed firmly on safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
A ‘Red Zone’ has been designated to allow players, coaching staff and match officials exclusive access to the dressing rooms, technical areas and pitch. Such is the unique design of Bolton’s stadium that it has separate home and away tunnels – which removes one of the pre match ‘pinch points’ that have been a concern elsewhere.
The ‘Amber Zone’ will include interior areas of the stadium, including the press room.
One way systems are now in place in internal corridors, with regular hand sanitisation points and signage to ensure people maintain social distancing. Only one person at a time will be able to use one of two reception lifts.
All non-essential staff who report to the stadium will have to complete a questionnaire and be temperature checked before they are allowed access, and face masks will be required in all communal areas.
Media applications are normally restricted only to licensed organisations – but Wanderers have employed even stricter rules for Saturday’s game to ensure there is adequate spacing in the press box.
Post-match interviews will not take place in the tunnel, as would normally be the case, and are expected to be conducted at a distance in the media suite or outdoors in the press box area.
Fans will be able to follow the game on Matchday Live via The Bolton News’ website and tune in to radio commentary on BBC Radio Manchester or Bolton FM, who will also be supplying audio for the iFollow feed, available at the cost of £10.
Aside from the selected press, there will be only a small number of people in the stands, including a handful from visitors Bradford in the directors’ box. A limit of three seats have also been made available for visiting scouts.
Exactly when fans will return to the UniBol remains an unanswered question and the club have monitored the local situation closely, liaising with council officials and the EFL on a regular basis.
It is hoped the phased return of supporters will begin in October, and several officials in Leagues One and Two have outlined their plans for social distancing, catering for between 20 and 25 per cent of current capacity.
With more than 7,000 season tickets already sold, Wanderers are already pushing the levels of that allowance. But it is understood that the stadium’s modern and open design – which saw it ear-marked for potential use by the Premier League during Operation Restart if a neutral venue was needed – will give the club some scope for manoeuvre.
Detailed discussions will continue in the coming weeks and the club is confident that barring a massive surge in ticket sales in the coming weeks, or a serious downturn in the local coronavirus situation, that they will be cleared by the local Safety Advisory Group to bring in every season ticket holder when the government signal is it time.
Source