The struggling Bolton Wanderers are eager to win in front of their supporters as they close up the League One season. On Saturday, they will host Stevenage at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
After surrendering five points in their last two games, the Boro will be hoping to finish well, while the Trotters will be seeking their first victory in six games.
Originally hoping to return to the Championship, Stephen Schumacher’s Bolton is now getting ready for another season in the third division following a tumultuous campaign that saw them switch managers midway through.
The Trotters have only managed one point since April 5—a 1-1 draw with Peterborough United last Saturday—and have lost four of their past five games, drawing one of them before this weekend’s match.
With 67 points after that point, Schumacher’s team is now eighth in the standings and cannot overtake sixth-place Leyton Orient, who lead by a comfortable eight points with one game remaining.
In any case, the hosts would be eager to thank their fans by winning, which would be their 21st victory of the season, but fans could understandably be sceptical after watching their club lose three of their previous four games at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Although a loss would allow ninth-place Blackpool and tenth-place Huddersfield Town to depress them on the last matchday, three points on Saturday would put Bolton at a respectable 70.
Stevenage, led by Alex Revell, is comfortably in the middle of the table heading into the end of the season, but they have only won two of their last eleven games, so they will know that their strong mid-season play is what guaranteed them a spot in League One for 2025–2026.
It’s also noteworthy that the Boro’s last four victories, dating back to early February, all came against recently relegated teams Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United, and Crawley Town.
That victory over the Gas came on April 21st, and while Revell’s squad stay 14th with 56 points, the manager will be concerned that it is his club’s sole win in their previous five matches.
Three points on Saturday would be enough to see the Boro leapfrog both Rotherham United and Barnsley to move up to 12th, and a top-half finish would be a commendable achievement for a club that have struggled for results at the business end of the season.
