Ken Anderson addresses the club's supporters on bwfc.co.uk
A year ago today, Dean and I finalised the deal to complete the ownership of Bolton Wanderers Football Club.
From the situation we inherited, to be in the position where we stand now, has been a great achievement by all who are connected to the club; from the supporters to the staff, everybody has played a significant and crucial role.
There have been challenging moments along the way and we are still some distance from where we ultimately want to be. But the support you have shown us, given what you have all been through following this great club in recent years, has been nothing short of inspirational and completely reinforces my decision to become involved.
Tomorrow, against Fleetwood Town, we come up against Sky Bet League One’s in-form team and a side who are one of our promotion rivals. Some people are building up this fixture as a ‘must-win’ game.
And, yes, while of course we want to win all our games, it is important to remember that we continue the resurgence in our performances. We have a number of games remaining, many of which are on the road, and there will be plenty of twists and turns.
Our squad has self-belief and a resolute togetherness, which will stand them in good stead for the 12 games we have remaining. There are still plenty of points to play for and our destiny is still very much in our control.
During the week, I held further conversations with the EFL regarding the transfer embargo situation and we remain hopeful of bringing in another emergency loan signing.
We have an excellent working relationship with them and generally speaking they have been very helpful throughout both windows. We brought in 12 players in the summer and five in January, but we’ve had terrible luck with long-term injuries which has severely depleted the size of our squad at various stages throughout the season.
We tried to promote one of our younger players, Jeff King, into the first team ranks to boost the squad. Phil believes Jeff is ready to play first team football and deserves his chance, but the embargo has prevented us from doing this unfortunately.
We appealed to the EFL Board but unfortunately we haven’t been successful. While we are disappointed with the decision, we fully respect the EFL’s stance.
I will always do my best for the club, our players and supporters, and if that means having detailed and at times difficult conversations then so be it.
Earlier this week, we announced our Community Fiver initiative for our forthcoming Sky Bet League One game against Chesterfield. Every Bolton Wanderers supporter will be able to attend the match for just £5.
We want to ensure that as many people come to Macron Stadium as possible to get behind Phil and the lads. As we all know, a passionate, partisan support makes a huge difference.
The game is also our Community Day and showcases the Bolton Wanderers Community Trust’s sterling work. Tickets can be bought ONLINE HERE. We will also be doing some more deals on our replica kit in the run-up to the fixture, so please stay tuned.
Finally, I’m pleased that we’ve been able to support the GB Deaf Football Team who are looking to secure funding so that they can take part in the Deaflympics later this year.
They are staying in Bolton Whites Hotel at the weekend and training at Lostock ahead of their fundraising match against a Kevin Davies XI on Sunday at Ashton Town.
Be loud, be proud and get behind the boys this weekend and against Gillingham on Tuesday.
Ken