Manager makes surprise visit to see Thomas Fielding and the players of local side Oxford Grove U10s
With the help of his granddad, local youngster Thomas Fielding recently applied for the manager’s position at Bolton Wanderers – he didn’t get the job, but the man who did decided to pay him a special visit.
On Wednesday evening Neil Lennon surprised Thomas and the rest of his team-mates at Oxford Grove Under-10s when calling in on their training session.
The manager spent time meeting Thomas and his fellow team-mates, signing autographs and getting involved in the training session itself.
Thomas, aged 9 and a season ticket holder, sent a letter in to the club for the attention of chairman Phil Gartside expressing his interest in the then-vacant position last month.
Following the appointment of Lennon, Thomas then received a letter from the club thanking him for his interest in the role but that his application had been unsuccessful.
“It’s a great little story,” Lennon told bwfc.co.uk. “His letter was very similar to the one I sent in - it’s just his had better handwriting!
“But on a serious note, it was great to be out in the local community and to see the people of Bolton.
“I was made to feel very welcome by all at Oxford Grove and it was a real pleasure to meet Thomas and his family. We of course thank them for their support.”
The manager also presented and signed a Bolton Wanderers home shirt with ‘OXFORD GROVE 10’ printed on the reverse as a gift from one club to another.