This weekend, Bolton Wanderers take on Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship.
With that being said, bwfc.co.uk have picked out five talking points ahead of tomorrow's fixture.
1. Armistice Day
The game against Swansea City marks our annual Remembrance Day match and with it being 100 years since the end of World War One, Wanderers will be marking the occasion with the following:
- On Wednesday, the club planted two trees adjacent to the Nat Lofthouse statue, in memory of two Wanderers players William Wallace and Harold Greenhalgh who lost their lives in World War One serving our country. This is in association with the Woodland Trust, National Football Museum and various governing bodies as a part of the “Football Remembers” project.
- A commemorative coin has been commissioned as part of the 100 year anniversary and will be used at the coin toss and will be passed to the referee by a member of the armed forces. It will be auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going to the Royal British Legion.
- The players will all be wearing customised poppy themed shirts to mark the occasion and they will also be auctioned off with the monies going to the Royal British Legion.
- Volunteers from the Royal British Legion will also be outside the University of Bolton Stadium and dotted around the inside of the ground to raise money.
- At approximately 2.50pm; a guard of honour will be made to honour the members of the military in attendance and their families.
- Club Chaplain Phil Mason will read the Ode to Remembrance, before a minutes silence will take place prior to kick off.
We highly advise all fans attending tomorrow’s game against Swansea City to be in their seats by 2:50pm for this Act of Remembrance.
2. Ticket Offer
Bolton Wanderers season ticket holders can still bring a friend, family member or colleague to the Sky Bet Championship match against Swansea City this Saturday at the University of Bolton Stadium for just £10 per ticket.
This offer is exclusive to Bolton Wanderers season ticket holders, who can purchase up to a maximum of four additional tickets at this very special price.
Season ticket holders can be purchase their additional tickets over the phone by calling 0844 871 2932 selecting option 2 then option 1, or in person at Bolton Central. Tickets for the promotion will not be available online.
*Tickets MUST be purchased by the season ticket holder and must produce their season card when buying in person from Bolton Central or their client reference number (CRN) when buying via the phone lines.
3. Another Newly-Relegated Opponent
Following on from our last game against Aston Villa, we take on another recently relegated side from the top flight of English football.
Currently sat ninth in the Sky Bet Championship, the Swans have kept a core amount of their recently demoted side, whilst making some additions.
Brought in from Nottingham Forest was midfielder Barrie McKay for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal.
The Scottish international had a glittering career during his time at Rangers, winning the Scottish Third Division, Championship and Challenge Cup with the Gers.
On a personal note, McKay played himself into the Scottish Championship PFA Team of the Year in 2015/16.
Bersant Celina signed for the Swans from Manchester City on a permanent basis in the summer.
The Kosovan international has experience out on loan in the top level of Dutch football with FC Twente, as well as in this division with Ipswich Town during the 2017/18 season.
He scored his first goal for Swansea against the Tractor Boys in October 2018.
Young striker Joel Asoro signed from Sunderland back in July 2018, penning a four-year deal.
The Swedish youth international spent the majority of his development career in his native Sweden at the likes of IFK Haninge and IF Brommapojkarna before joining Sunderland in 2015.
He broke into the first team a year later, making his professional debut against Middlesbrough as a second half substitute, becoming Sunderland’s and Sweden’s youngster Premier League player.
4. Squad Update
During Thursday’s press conference in preview on the Swansea City home clash, assistant manager Steve Parkin spoke to bwfc.co.uk and gave an update on the squad.
When asked about Sammy Ameobi’s inclusion, Parkin said: “Sammy has had a good week of training. He was a little behind the eight ball before the Villa game.
“He had a reasonable weekend after it and he will certainly come into contention.”
When asked about the rest of the team, he said: “There are no fresh injury concerns. We have had a couple bumps and bruises in the week but nothing serious.”
“Everybody is alright and they have all trained today [Thursday].”
5. Graham Potter
In June 2018, Potter was appointed manager of Swansea City, signing a three-year contract with the Welsh club.
In his playing days, Potter made over 300 appearances for the likes of Birmingham City, Stoke City, York City and Macclesfield Town.
After retiring in 2005, the former England Under-21 international went to the Open University and graduated with a degree in Social Sciences.
Following work with the University of Hull, Leeds Metropolitan University and England Universities squads, Potter was appointed manager of Swedish side Ostersunds FK who were in the fourth tier of Swedish football at the time.
He achieved two successive promotions before managing to get the club into the Allsvenskan (top flight of Swedish football) after just five years in the job.
After winning the Svenska Cupen in 2017, this granted Potter’s side a berth in the UEFA Europa League for the 2017/18 season which was a first for Ostersunds.
His side went onto beat English giants Arsenal in the competition away from home, however they were eliminated 4-2 on aggregate.