Last Update:
October 7, 2024
From the outside, the stadium looks simply stunning and can be seen for miles around. The view of it driving down the slip road from the M61 motorway is one of the greatest sights in English football, especially when it is lit up at night. It has a great, eye-catching design and is unlike anything else in the country.
The inside is functional and tidy and lacks the wow factor of the stadium’s external appearance. It is enclosed, and each stand has a conventional rectangular lower tier with a semi-circular upper tier above. Situated between the two tiers is a row of executive boxes. Above the stands, there is a gap between the back of the stands and the roof to allow additional light to reach the pitch. The roofs are then topped with diamond-shaped floodlights above a striking tubular steel structure.
One unusual feature of the ground is that the teams emerge from separate tunnels on either side of the halfway line. Outside the stadium is a statue of former player and legend Nat Lofthouse.
In August 2018, the stadium was renamed the University of Bolton Stadium in a sponsorship deal. It had previously been called the Macron Stadium and the Reebok Stadium when it first opened in 1997.
In July 2023, the ground was renamed the Toughsheet Community Stadium. Toughsheet are a local company, and this was the most lucrative sponsorship deal in the stadium’s history.
There are two big screens at the stadium, one between the South and East Stands and one in the opposite corner, between the North and West Stands. The club has announced plans to install two more screens in the other two corners of the ground and has started the process of installing safe standing.
Away fans are housed in the two tiered South Stand at one end of the ground, where up to 5,000 supporters can be accommodated, although the normal allocation is nearer 3,000. The stand is now completely given over to away fans.
The leg room and facilities within this stand are good and the atmosphere is boosted in the home end by the presence of a drummer. Alex Smith adds; ‘away fans should note that the bottom rows of the lower tier are not covered by the roof and therefore you may get wet if it rains’.
Whilst Paul Kelly warns: “The stewards at the stadium can be a bit overzealous, often throwing out fans for little reason. My advice to away fans is do not even think about celebrating a goal by going further forward than the front row. They’ll have you even if you’re just on the bit of track behind the adverts.”
Food on offer includes pies, burgers, and hot dogs, and alcohol is also served at the concourse.
The Bee hive on Chorley New Road is the main pub for away supporters. It is about a 10-15 minute walk away from the visitor’s turnstiles. The pub is of a good size and also serves food and you can park your car park there.
Other local spots for a drink before the match include:
- The Bowling Green – 175 Lee Ln, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7JD
- Blundell Arms – Chorley Old Rd, Horwich, Bolton BL6 6PY
- The Dragonfly – Nelson Square, Bolton BL1 1DP
The Toughseet Community Stadium is one of the best around when it comes to serving good food before a game and also provides some excellent drinks to wash it down with.
Here are some examples of the type of scran you can expect to be on offer when visiting the ground:
Chicken tikka naan and garlic fries at Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC)
💷 £8 pic.twitter.com/6SNk4jqyD9
— Footy Scran (@FootyScran) August 23, 2022
Chicken tikka dirty fries at Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC @sushmasnacks)
💷 £6 pic.twitter.com/6POGBXxlRR
— Footy Scran (@FootyScran) November 12, 2023
The main entrance for home fans at the Toughseet Community Stadium is located within the ground’s West Stand. Here you’ll find a wide array of turnstiles to ensure that entry into the venue is dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Away fans, on the other hand, will need to head towards the South Stand, where an array of turnstiles will gain them access to that section of the ground. More often than not, a ticket allocation of 5,000 will be provided for travelling supporters.
Toughsheet Community Stadium seating plan
From The South
M6 to Junction 21a, take eastbound M62 leaving at Junction 12. Follow signs for M61 (Bolton/Preston) and leave the M61 motorway at Junction 6. The ground is visible from this junction and is clearly signposted.
From The North
M6 to Junction 29 and take the M65 towards Blackburn. Leave the M65 at junction two and join the M61 towards Manchester. Leave the M61 at junction six. The ground is visible from this junction and is clearly signposted.
John Walsh adds, “Because of traffic congestion on the M60 (formerly M62), Â caused by the Trafford Centre, I would recommend that those supporters travelling from the South should take the North directions above. It is about 10 miles further but can save 30 minutes and a lot of frustration!”
Car Parking
The official away car park at the stadium now costs £8. Payment is made by newly installed parking meters before exiting the car park after the game. Bolton supporters have widely criticised these meters as they create long queues at full-time. But the stadium is now completely cashless along with the car parks.
There is plenty of free parking at the Middlebrook retail park if you arrive early enough. This used to be a no-go, and security manned the car parks to prevent match-day parking. However, you now get up to 6 hours of free parking, and there is no security to worry about.
- Post Code for SAT NAV: BL6 6JW
Horwich Parkway Railway Station serves the Macron Stadium, with regular trains from Bolton’s main railway station. Horwich Parkway is only a few minutes walk from the stadium.
For those travelling fans who wish to stay in Bolton overnight after the game, here are some examples of good hotels that are reasonably priced and located near the ground:
- Premier Inn Bolton (Stadium/Arena) hotel, Arena Approach 3, Bolton BL6 6LB
- Premier Inn Bolton West hotel, 991 Chorley New Rd, Horwich, Bolton BL6 4BA
- Mercure Bolton Georgian House Hotel, Manchester Rd., Blackrod, Bolton BL6 5RU
Bolton use a three-tiered category system for tickets depending on the level of opposition. Their ticket prices for each stand/category are as follows:
North Stand
- Adults – £30/£28/£26
- Over-65/Under-23 – £25/£23/£21
- Under-18 – £19/£17/£12
- Under-12 – £12 for all games
East/West lower tiers
- Adults – £32/£30/£28
- Over-65/Under-23 – £27/£25/£23
- Under-18 – £19/£17/£14
- Under-12 – £12 for all games
East/West upper tiers
- Adults – £34/£32/£30
- Over-65/Under-23 – £29/£27/£25
- Under-18 – £19/£12/£12
- Under-12 – £12 for all games
Family ticket (North Stand only)
- Adult + Under-18 – £42/£40/£38
- 2 Adult + 2 Under-18 – £84/£80/£76
Away Fans
- Adul – £30
- Over 65/Under 23: – £25
- U18 – £19
- U12 – £12
In their early days, Bolton bounced around various stadiums with nowhere in particular known as ‘home’. Pike’s Lane became their first real steady ground seven years after their formation. 14 years later, the club moved stadiums. Burden Park became their home ground and remained there through to 1997. During that time, numerous adjustments were made to the ground, with the capacity peaking at 70k before financial issues. The introduction of new standards saw the capacity wind down considerably.
The most notable story associated with Brunden Park is the 1946 crush disaster that killed 33 fans. After Brunden Park, Bolton moved into the Reebok Stadium. The club still plays its home matches there; however, owing to sponsorship deals, the name frequently changes.
At the time of writing, that name is the Toughsheet Community Stadium, and its current form boasts a capacity of 29,000. Since the ground hosted its first match in 1997 – a 0-0 draw between Bolton Wanderers and Everton in September, the stadium has become an incredibly important part of the local community.
In 2014, its status as an integral cog in the lives of residents in the local area became even more apparent. Officials at the club opted to open the ‘Bolton Wanderers Free School’ – a sixth-from programme that allowed students to study sports courses using the ground’s facilities. However, the project saw very little demand from students and as a result, the Trotters decided to end the project, stating that it was no longer financially viable.
As well as hosting football matches and transforming into a place of study, the Toughsheet Community Stadium has also been used as a venue for Snooker, Rugby and music concerts.
For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the
Level Playing Field website.
Record Attendance
At The Toughsheet Community Stadium
28,353 vs Leicester City
Premier League, 28 December 2003.
At Burnden Park
69,912 v Manchester City
FA Cup 5th Round, 18 February 1933.
Average Attendance
- 2022/23 – League One – 18. 814
- 2021/22 – League One – 15,439
- 2020/21 – League Two – 0 (Covid)
- 2021/22 – League One – 15,439
- 2022/23 – League One – 18,814
- 2023/24 – League One – 19,493
The latest developments at the Toughseet Community Stadium aim to improve the overall matchday experience of match-going fans.
Most notably, the club have officially submitted plans to renovate the current ‘fanzone’ at the ground, with new facilities being implemented, including:
- A mini football pitch
- Food and drink stalls
- Games area
- A central stage for live music
Ground Layout
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Images
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United
Championship League
Saturday 25th August 2018, 3pm
Jake (Sheffield United)
Bolton Wanderers v AFC Wimbledon
Football League One
Saturday 4th March 2017, 3pm
Brian May (AFC Wimbledon fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
Having seen the Macron Stadium from a distance a few times in passing, I was really looking forward to taking in a game there for the first time and ticking off another of the 92. Wimbledon's form going into the game wasn't the best and with Bolton riding high in the league, I was travelling more in hope than expectation.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We nearly always travel to away games by train but the line that serves the Horwich Parkway station was closed for engineering works. Rather than trust the rail replacement buses we instead took the train to Wigan and pre-booked a taxi for a price of £30 return (Crusader taxis in Wigan – highly recommended). The drive took approximately 20 minutes and the stadium was visible from miles away helping to build a bit of pre-match anticipation!
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As usual, I had my kids with me so took a walk around the stadium and visited the club shop. The Macron Stadium is next door to a retail park so there are loads of places to go for something to eat if you so choose. The home fans seemed pretty friendly and the Police presence was minimal.
Burnden Park Disaster Memorial Plaque
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
From the outside, the Macron Stadium is impressive to say the least with an unusual web of steel supports holding up the roof and the four diamond-shaped floodlight pylons. Outside the West Stand, there is an imposing statue of the great Nat Lofthouse and a memorial to the 33 fans killed in the Burnden Park disaster of 1946. After paying our respects, we made our way to the away end where the stewards were pretty laid back and the gate staff were friendly. As there was quite a small away following occupying only a couple of blocks behind the goal which were open for us but there was still plenty of room. The inside of the stadium somehow feels like a modern bowl and a traditional four-stand ground at the same time. The lower tier sweeps right around the stadium with a semi-circular upper tier on each side. The stadium is already 20 years old, but still looks fresh and is easily one of the most impressive medium-sized stadia that I have ever visited.
View From the Away Stand
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The small number of Dons fans were easily catered for and the facilities were good. The prices whilst not cheap, were in line with what you expect to pay at football these days (£6 for a pie and a pint) and the meat and potato pies were decent. The ground was about half-full meaning the match atmosphere was a bit on the quiet side. Predictably, Bolton started strongly, deservedly took the lead on 15 minutes and then continued to keep Wimbledon penned into their own half – I was fearing a thrashing to be honest. However, Dons slowly clawed their way back into the game and equalised on 38 minutes. This knocked Bolton out of their stride and had Wimbledon's tails up – the half-time whistle was probably more welcome for the home team. There were chances for both sides in the second half, but Dons defended stubbornly and Bolton never really settled back into their early rhythm so the game fizzled out to a draw – a result that the Dons were certainly happier with.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
I had booked our return taxi for 5:30pm to give the traffic a chance to disperse and he was spot on time. The traffic around the ground was still a bit busy but was moving and we were back in Wigan inside about 25 minutes.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall, another great day out following the Dons. The Macron is an impressive stadium with a friendly welcome from the club and a hard-earned point to send Dons fans home content.
Bolton Wanderers v Tranmere Rovers
League 1
Saturday 1st February 2020, 3pm
Ben Castle (Tranmere Rovers)
Bolton Wanderers v Tranmere Rovers
League 1
Saturday 1st February 2020, 3pm
David Sindall (Tranmere Rovers)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the University of Bolton Stadium?
I have never been to this stadium before and I was looking forward to us picking up a vital '6 points'.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I parked in the Salvation Army Car Park on Lostock Lane, which cost £3. It was then about a seven minute walk to the ground. The journey was easy, just taking about an hour from the 'Paradise Peninsula'.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I popped into the Barnstormers Pub, where I enjoyed a very well kept pint. Then I ate a pie inside the ground. Getting served was a bit slow but they do a pie and a pint deal for £6.25.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the University of Bolton Stadium?
It is a big ground. I don’t like being behind the goal but the view of the pitch was impressive.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Lost 2-0. Bolton massive, about 200 12 year olds, were located to the right of away end. They enjoyed the game more than we did, obviously.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Easy.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Will be back there next season in League 2.
Bolton Wanderers v Portsmouth
League 1
Saturday 18th January 2020, 3pm
Tony Davies (Portsmouth)
Bolton Wanderers v AFC Wimbledon
League One
Saturday 7th December 2019, 3pm
David Matthews (AFC Wimbledon)
Bolton Wanderers v MK Dons
League 1
Saturday 16th November 2019, 3pm
Peter Williams (MK Dons)
Bolton Wanderers v Plymouth Argyle
FA Cup First Round
Saturday 9th November 2019, 3pm
John Hague (Bolton Wanderers)
Bolton Wanderers v Plymouth Argyle
FA Cup First Round
Saturday 9th November 2019, 3pm
Graham Andrew (Plymouth Argyle)
Bolton v Sheffield Wednesday
Championship
Tuesday, 12th March 2019, 7.45pm
Steve Ellis (Neutral)
Why were you looking forward to going to the University of Bolton Stadium?
This was not my intended game as I travelled to watch Exeter at Macclesfield which sadly got called off. So it was a toss-up between this and the Blackburn game, but also a chance to tick off another ground.
How easy was your journey and finding the ground?
The journey to the ground was easy with trains every 30 minutes from Manchester Piccadilly to Horwich Parkway then a 5 minute walk.
What did you do before the game, pub, chippy….home fans friendly?
I had to go around to the far side of the ground to the club shop in order to purchase a ticket. Matchday programmes were available at points around the ground. All the fans I encountered seemed friendly.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end and then other sides of the University of Bolton Stadium?
From the outside, the ground looks impressive especially as you walk up from the station. I was behind the goal in the North Stand lower tier with the home supporters. The view was good with no restrictions and some good leg room. The other stands all mirror their opposite sides.
The Stadium Looking Good Lit Up
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, refreshments etc.
The game was good but not entertaining, Wednesday running out as 2-0 winners. The atmosphere was good but most of the noise came from the away section. The stewards were low key and friendly. The refreshments seemed pricey for individual items but the beer and pint offer at £6.50 was acceptable and the pie I had was among the best I’ve had on an away day.
Comments on getting away from the ground after the game.
Getting away afterwards was easy as I had the short walk back to the station.
Attendance: 13,624 (1,918 away fans)
Bolton Wanderers v Norwich City
Championship League
Saturday 16th February 2019, 3pm
Timothy Scales (Norwich City)
Bolton Wanderers v Preston North End
Championship League
Saturday 9th February 2019, 3pm
Ian Robinson (Preston North End)
Bolton Wanderers v Reading
Championship League
Tuesday 29th January 2019, 8pm
William Biss (Reading)
Bolton Wanderers v Birmingham City
Championship League
Tuesday 3rd April 2018, 8pm
Specky (Neutral fan)
Bolton Wanderers v Ipswich Town
Football Championship League
Saturday 20th January 2018, 3pm
Kieran B (Ipswich Town fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
Another week, another new ground to tick off the list in my road to the 92. This time last year I was on 31, and now I find myself on 42. As far as match anticipation was concerned I wasn’t looking forward to the standard of football these two teams were probably going to produce the duration of the match.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Leaving Ipswich at 8:45am, we got the train from Ipswich to London Liverpool Street. From there we walked to Moorgate and then got the tube to London Euston. It was then a straight train to Manchester Piccadilly, and then to Oxford Road, where a rail replacement bus carried us to our final leg of the journey to Horwich Parkway and the Macron Stadium, arriving at 2pm.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We headed straight to the ground after a brief loop around the rather impressive Macron “Reebok” Stadium. A very tasty peppered steak pie in the ground as well as a pint of Coors Light set me up well for the game ahead. The only home fans I encountered were on the rail replacement bus service, but we had a good chat about the past and the present and the contrast in our two clubs seasons and got on very well. A great bunch of people.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
The Macron Stadium is very impressive and far from the norm of the usual bowls/modern stadiums we see so often. It reminds me a lot of the ‘John Smiths Stadium’ in Huddersfield with its Arch Like stanchion beams, but despite its simplicity inside, I can’t say its boring. A very unique, and smart ground. When I received my ticket, I was rather confused to see that my seat was in the ‘Upper Tier’ as for years I had seen away fans were in the lower, right behind the goal usually. A Bolton fan told me that this has since been the case from the start of the season, with no understanding as to why. I’m not complaining however, as the view was brilliant.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Watching paint dry is how I could describe the first half, nothing to talk about there. However, the second half only sprung into life because Gary Madine fired Bolton into a deserved lead on 53 minutes. Thankfully the game picked up after that, and with both sides having some good chances, with Bolton probably deserving another goal. However, we managed to grab an equaliser after our best 30 second spell of the game with Garner finishing off a well worked move in the 82nd minute. From there onwards it was all Ipswich, and we almost won it in injury time when Waghorn slammed is 25 yard effort off the post. That would have been harsh on Bolton, who in the end were probably thankful of a point, despite deserving all three over the 90 minutes. Not the greatest game I’ll ever watch but a point is a point. The atmosphere was a solid 5/10 throughout the match. The stewards were fine, and my peppered steak pie I had pre-match was worthy of a 9/10. Facilities were spacious and very good considering we had 650 fans squeezed into one corner.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
This could have been a long one as we had to pick up a rail-replacement bus back to Manchester Piccadilly via numerous stops, meaning we were at risk of missing a few trains, however to our luck there was one heading direct to Manchester Piccadilly Station. Ahead of schedule, we were back at London Liverpool Street by 9pm, and then back in Ipswich at 10pm. Overall an enjoyable and very quick journey back.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Despite the football, I had a good day. A new ground ticked off the list, and a point away from home is better than none. The Macron is a nice stadium and one that I would happily visit again in the future. I hope they manage to survive the drop this season.
Full Time Result: Bolton Wanderers 1 Ipswich Town 1
Bolton Wanderers v Leeds United
Football Championship League
Sunday 6th August 2017, 4.30pm
Shaun Tully (Leeds United fan)
Bolton Wanderers v Leeds United
Football Championship League
Sunday 6th August 2017, 4.30pm
Josh Townend (Leeds United fan)
Bolton Wanderers v Chesterfield
Football League One
Saturday 1st April 2017, 3pm
Ian Bradley (Neutral fan)
I had not visited the Macron Stadium before and the £5 admission price for this match was too good to miss. After a trouble free train journey which took me around two hours from my Rotherham home, I arrived at Horwich Parkway Station which is located just outside the ground at around 1.15pm. I then had a pleasant lunch at one of the eateries at the adjoining shopping mall before walking back to the Macron Stadium and buying a programme, which was an excellent read.
The turnstiles opened around 2pm and on entering I was impressed with the overall look of the inside of the stadium. It is nice and modern with nice seats and plenty of legroom affording unrestricted views of the action. The game started with the visiting Spireites in the ascendancy, going close on several occasions through midfielders Jon Nolan and Dan Gardner and striker Kristian Dennis. Whils the home side looked nervous and tentative in front of a bumper crowd of over 23,000 fans. This was the Trotters biggest crowd of the season.
Bolton came much more into the game in the second period, with good efforts from Jay Spearing and striker Adam Le Fondre. Chesterfield still looked quite dangerous on the break though which made for a much better game. Chesterfield's Nolan was unluckily dismissed in injury time for a second bookable offence, which I thought was a fair challenge. Bolton then poured forward in the five extra minutes with close range efforts from Bolton's Wheater, Le Fondre and Beevers being heroically blocked by the Chesterfield defence. Although ending 0-0 it was a decent(ish) game in which Bolton weren't at their best and League Two bound Chesterfield thoroughly deserved at least a point from.
Overall I enjoyed my visit to the Macron Stadium. It is a good stadium and the large 23,000+ crowd created a great atmosphere.
Bolton Wanderers vs Bristol Rovers
Football League One
Tuesday 28th February 2017, 8pm
Luke Smith (Bristol Rovers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
The Macron Stadium has a reputation of being one of the prestige football grounds in the country, and most definitely up there with the best two or three in League One. On the back of two promotions, it's fixtures like this that make us Gasheads so thankful to have Darrell Clarke at the helm, and a lot of us (843) were going to travel regardless of time and date.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey up was fairly easy despite near apocalyptic weather conditions on the M5 and M6. The view of the ground all along the M65 was a particular highlight; a true beacon of footballing over achievement. The way back was a different story, with both the M5 and M6 shut, it took over six hours to get home… at night!
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Prior to the game we had a wander round the attached retail park and grabbed a quick pint at the nearby Beehive pub. The whole infrastructure of a multi-laned carriageway and several very large car parks nearby lends itself perfectly to the ultimate away day experience.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
The Macron Stadium is truly one of the best I've ever been to. Its unusual design, outside lighting and floodlights make it a real spectacle on the drive in. Once inside the ground, the stewards were quite laid back and didn't care too much about persistent standing. We had the whole of the stand behind the goal's lower tier, and the view was fantastic.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Bolton were dire, I couldn't believe they are challenging for automatic promotion and we're mid table. You'd never have guessed it. Atmosphere reflected that too. A meager 13,000 home attendance made the ground seem a bit of a white elephant. It's never a good sign when the home fans are reliant on a drum to try and build some noise, although the travelling Gasheads made plenty of noise throughout. Bolton took the lead early on with Rovers equalising in the second, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. Stewards were fine, laid back and helpful. St John's ambulance were really slow in helping a prone woman, however. Didn't eat at the ground, as they'd only opened one bar as they probably didn't expect so many to turn up, so the queues were really long. Same issue with the entrance turnstiles; they had only opened one! Took an age getting into the ground.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Easy enough, a quick walk up the adjacent dual carriageway to the free car park at the Beehive pub and we were away.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
The Macron Stadium is an excellent ground and another one off the 92 (37 for me now). Despite the league position, poor game and poor home fans, it was a great away day (despite the delays driving home) and the stadium has a great infrastructure.
Bolton Wanderers vs Bristol Rovers
Football League One
Tuesday 28th February 2017, 8pm
Yaz Shah (Bristol Rovers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
To be honest, I was not. Weather did not look too great so I waited until 1pm on the day, before I then made my mind to go journeying up from London along the M1 and M6. I also thought that we might concede a few goals, as Bolton are doing well at the moment.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It was a long journey from London via M1, M6 (plus M6 toll) to J29 then M61 south to J6. I am glad I went further than M6 J26 and came back down the M61 as one of the reviewers suggested on this website. Although some Rovers fans I spoke to said there were no problems from J26 as well. M6 both ways – Birmingham to Manchester A556 was horrible and stuck in 50mph zone. M6 after M62 junction and M61 were smooth with very few bumps so I flew along to make up time. Parking easy and free. As it was an evening game I parked in a nearby Retail Park. Getting out after the game took about 40 minutes as I stayed with the rest of the Gasheads to clap and sing the team off the pitch after this performance.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
No real time to do anything as I got there and parked about 19:25. I asked some fans where away end was and they were quite polite.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
The Macron Stadium is a beautiful ground as other reviewers on this website have said. One of the best I have been to. The MK Dons ground is similar but seating there for away fans was awful and pitch being so far away created no atmosphere. Here at Bolton, they have a lovely ground with great views for the away fans although the 850 Gas fans were seated mostly towards left of the goal. But I enjoyed every minute of it.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Absolutely stunning Rovers performance away to a team in 4th going for automatic promotion. We were 10th having just played Bradford, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe, Rochdale, etc. in the last month. They scored in 7th minute and then we completely dominated them for most of the match. At least four goal line clearances or just past the post, one blatant handball penalty appeal in front of the ref I which he did not give despite the whole team appealing at the same time.
It was a brilliant 90 minute performance by Rovers and all the players including the subs. Our fans were great for the whole game. Their fans were very quiet and as the game went on, even more subdued as we were really having a go at them and a goal looked inevitable. We equalised last 15 minutes and they managed to hold out. Still cannot understand how we did not win this game. They committed a lot of fouls and had player sent off in last few minutes. Referee not very good for us although he seemed to get "fairer" as game went on. The stewards were okay like at most League One grounds; friendly. Long queues for food and drink. Ran out of tea at the break! Prices quite expensive and coffee I got was cold. For big away support, need to open more serving areas and maybe split into different areas like bars, hot drinks, etc. Will be quicker and easier for all.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Long wait to get out of the car park but largely due to me hanging around to cheer the team. About 45 minutes then hit the M61 South. Accident on M6 at J12 did not help.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
One of the best Rovers matches I have been to away in recent times. The Macron Stadium is a great ground and great views for away fans. Seating is not too cramped and although we like to stand, after a while, fans did all seat down but would frequently stand with no bother from stewards. Toilets good. Eating facilities could be better i.e. quicker, cheaper and tastier.
Bolton Wanderers v Crystal Palace
FA Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 7th January 2017, 3pm
Alan (Crystal Palace fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
I had veer been to the Macron Stadium before. I had been informed that it was an good ground to visit – I wasn't disappointed.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
There is car parking right next to the ground , access is so easy for one moment I thought I had made a mistake and was parking where the players do as it is literally 100 yards from the turnstiles – Not a bad price of £7 either.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Had a KFC in the retail shopping complex right next to the ground. No issues with the Bolton fans either in the KFC or around the Macron Stadium.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
The Macron Stadium is a superb ground. It is well built and not one of the normal goldfish bowls like Southampton – Sunderland etc… This ground has a lot of character to it.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Game was rubbish, a 0-0 bore draw. The atmosphere was good in the away end. The rest of the ground was half empty.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
By far the best exit of any ground I have been too and I have been to a few. Was back on the motorway within 15 minutes. Whoever designed this ground and its location should be given an award.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Excellent day out. The Macron Stadium is really nice ground.
Bolton Wanderers v Grimsby Town
FA Cup First Round
Saturday 5th November 2016, 3pm
Kevin Dixon (Grimsby Town fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
The Macron Stadium was another new ground for me to tick off the list, and another big day out for the Black and White Army.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
As I was staying in Manchester for the weekend, it was a simple half hour journey up the M61. Having read some of the previous reviews, I decided to park down Lostock Lane, and ended up in Hall Lane, just past the Barnstormers pub.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I nipped into the neighbouring Tesco next to the ground, and grabbed a sandwich and a drink, before making my way into the stadium. Home fans on the way were all friendly.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
After six seasons in the Conference League, it was a pleasure to visit a new modern ground. I have driven past on the M61 several times, and thought how good the Macron Stadium looked, and I wasn't disappointed. We were housed in the lower tier of the away end, there was sufficient leg room, and even though I was on the second row, it was still a reasonable view. The two sides of the ground are similar, both having a line of executive boxes between the lower and upper tiers, and the home end is a mirror image of the away end. The biggest disappointment was the lack of home fans. We had over 1,900, but the total crowd was a mere 6,600. The fact that the tickets were only £10/£12 made it even more surprising.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.
The first half was largely controlled by Bolton, although we didn't play badly. Our former loanee, Liam Trotter scored with a powerful header from a corner, and we went in at half time 1-0 down. The second half was a totally different matter, during which we played some of our best football of the season. However due to a fine performance from the Bolton keeper, we were unable to grab an equaliser. The Town fans were in good voice as ever, but there was very little noise from the home fans, even when they scored. The stewards were fine, doing their job with the minimum of fuss. I didn't try the food, but the toilets were very spacious and clean.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
After a ten minute walk back to the car, I joined the queue to get back onto the M61, which took a little longer than I anticipated. In view of the low attendance, I would imagine that it would be chaos getting away when there is a big crowd.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Despite the defeat, it was a good day out, and once again the Town fans were a great credit to the club. A number of Bolton supporters have praised us on the great atmosphere created by our fans. I would like to visit again, hopefully when there is a decent sized crowd.
Bolton Wanderers v Oxford United
Football League One
Saturday 1st October 2016, 3pm
Rob Pickett (Oxford United fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
Once again, as a northern exile living in Sheffield, this was a new ground and an easy away stadium to visit. Have heard good things about the Macron, I was well up for the trip.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The Macron Stadium has to be one of the best located grounds in the country. Easy to find, right by the motorway and with a nearby train station to boot. I parked at The Barnstormers Pub, which is a 10/15 minute walk to the ground.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I had a couple of pints of great real ale at the Barnstormers with a filled roll. This is a great pub accepting away and home fans in a cordial atmosphere. One of the barmaids called me sweetheart (the first time in many years for me!!), so I was well happy with that part of the day.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
Very impressed. The Macron is well designed ground from outside and inside. Great views from away end and good atmosphere. Probably one of the best stadiums I've been to in sometime.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.
Facilities were standard fayre, but toilets were expansive. The game was a tight affair in the first half. Bolton had some serious height in their team and counter-attacked with pace. The second half was the best 45 minutes from Oxford this season and we ran out deserved 2-0 winners on the day.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Straightforward, not too long to get back to the motorway and on the way. A real bonus.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
For Oxford fans and excellent day out. I would recommend a visit for other away fans to the Macron Stadium and to The Barnstormers pub. I'll go the next time we are away to Bolton.
Bolton Wanderers v Bradford City
Football League One
Saturday 24th September 2016, 3pm
Harry (Bradford City fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
I had never been to Bolton before. Plus with our former Manager Phil Parkinson moving over to take charge at Bolton, at the begriming of this season, there was extra interest in this match.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We traveled by train. On arriving at Bolton we got the train/rail replacement service to Horwich Parkway (as engineering works were taking place on the line). Horwich Parkway Station is literally a five minute walk away from the away turnstiles.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We arrived at 1:30pm so we decided to walk over to the Retail Park to find somewhere to eat. The walk over to the Retail Park too longer then expected. We got into the stadium at around 2:15pm.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
Looks a bit like the John Smiths stadium in Huddersfield but decent view from the top tier after walking up about eight flights of stairs.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
0-0 was probably a fair result. Bolton only really had 1 real chance which was blocked but Bradford didn't do anything of any real note for the majority of the game. Stewards were quiet all match and didn't ask anyone to sit down. Bradford made a superb atmosphere which you would expect from 4,300 of them. Bolton fans were quiet most of the game.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Massive police presence outside the away end but with only a short walk to the train station didn't see any trouble.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Decent day out and would definitely go again, keeps our unbeaten record intact and I can't wait for the home return game against Bolton now.
Bolton Wanderers vs Bradford City
Football League One
Saturday 29th April 2016, 3pm
Charlie (Bradford City fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
This was the first game I looked for when the fixtures were announced, I couldn't wait for it. With the Macron Stadium having hosted Premier League football only a handful of years ago and being one of the largest grounds in the league, I was looking forward to my first trip to their. It was also our first encounter with Phil Parkinson, our ex-manager who left us in favour of Bolton during the summer, it was going to be interesting to see what kind of reception he would get. With both teams flying high in the league and going for promotion, it looked to be a must-see game.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Me and my brother began the short journey over to Lancashire on a supporters coach. We left Valley Parade around 12:45 and arrived in plenty of time for kick off. The Police allowed us to park right outside the away turnstiles making access the stadium very easy.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We arrived at the Macron Stadium with an hour and 15 minutes until kick off. We had a look around the stadium and decided to take a walk up to the retail park for something to eat. There was no bother from the home fans.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
Although I prefer traditional football grounds, the Macron Stadium is very impressive with its large size and modern facilities. You could tell it was a Premier League ground not so long ago. You can spot the ground from a distance when approaching. The away end was large and we certainly filled it out with over 4,000 of us attending the game.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself didn't live up to expectations whatsoever. It was a relatively dull 0-0 game, with neither side really doing enough to win the game. City and Wanderers spent the full 90 minutes cancelling each other out. City looked scared to shoot! A draw was the fair result.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Considering how many coaches we took to Bolton getting away from the stadium was much quicker than expected. The journey home was easy arriving back in Bradford at about quarter past six.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A great day out with a game that didn't live up to expectations unfortunately. I left the ground happy with a draw with Bolton being one of the top sides in the league. Also we extended our unbeaten run in the league which we were pleased about. A fantastic atmosphere from the City fans as always, the Bolton fans were relatively quiet. Overall a good day out, I would definitely visit the Macron Stadium again.
Bolton Wanderers v Preston North End
Championship League
Saturday 12th March 2016, 3pm
Paul Willott (Preston North End fan)
Derby Day defeats are hard to take. Losing bragging rights both home and away in the same season is simply awful….but to then also cop a 3-0 defeat in a promotion play-off final at Cardiff rubbed an extremely large quantity of salt into the wound. But thus it was in 2000/2001 with regards to our rivals from down the M61. If a week is a long time in politics, then the summer break is an eternity……….and to then see the Wanderers enjoy their start to life in the top flight with a 5-0 away win at Leicester City whilst we slumped to a 5-0 walloping at Gillingham only served to emphasise the fine margins at stake in those dreaded/much loved play-off finals. Little did we know that we would have to wait a massive 16 years for the chance to avenge such heart-ache.
Hence it was made as clear as possible to all concerned that even before the fixture list came out, I would be unavailable for weddings, funerals, christenings etc. et.c on whatever date such a fixture was produced. One of the huge prizes for having secured promotion at Wembley the previous season was the chance to renew rivalries with Blackburn Rovers, Burnley, and Bolton. Perhaps unsurprisingly also, this was a prime candidate to be selected as the designated annual ‘Gentry Day’ for Preston North Enders, where supporters don bowler hats to honour comrades who have passed and to commemorate the legendary Alan Ball Snr, one time manager of the North End who used the term “gentry” in reference to the calibre of support given by the Deepdale faithful as he saw it.
Myself and Kieran Decked Out For Gentry Day
Given the high profile nature of the match, it was a relief once we had secured tickets for ourselves as the 4,500 allocation were going like hot cakes. I guess many supporters also sensed a real chance for payback. Games were fast running out now for a Wanderers side some 10 points adrift at the foot of the table and leaving aside the sad memories of the 2000/2001 season, older fans such as myself also recall the sad day at the end of the 92-93 season where at Burnden Park, our rivals gleefully relegated us; so would this fixture enable us to help push them closer to the brink of the drop?
Thus, the day before, we collected our youngest two children and commenced our journey up to the North-West from Kent for an overnight stop near Preston. Following a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast, we paid a brief visit to the Deepdale club shop before making the short journey down the M61 to hopefully get there fairly early and avoid too much traffic congestion. To say that I was buzzing with anticipation since breakfast would have been a masterpiece of understatement. Our last trip to the then named “Reebok”, and only visit in fact had coincided with a mountaineering trip to Chamonix in the French Alps, so this was going to be my first ever visit to a ground I’d seen so many times previously from the motorway and the train yet never had cause to venture inside.
As this guide says, the ground is very visible from the nearby M61, but also from the Preston-Manchester railway line too. The transformation of the area over the past few decades has been quite remarkable from being just a huge swathe of flat green-belt. First the ground itself started to rise, and then some years later some of the adjoining hotels, and then the retail outlet, and finally “Horwich Parkway” railway station sprung up alongside the railway line. The name of the railway station denotes that Bolton now play a proverbial country mile away from their home town…….and indeed Horwich itself may look back wistfully on football heritage of its own. The Lancashire & Yorkshire railway works based in the town spawned the Horwich RMI FC that played there for many a long year until they uprooted and moved to the nearby town of Leigh. Unfortunately for them, the move across the invisible border into Rugby League territory badly damaged the fanbase and the club hasn’t fared so well at all. The other Lancashire & Yorkshire railway’s other works based team, formerly known as Newton Heath has fared slightly better down the years…….. Some folks have suggested perhaps tongue-in-cheek down recent years that Bolton Wanderers should change their name to reflect their new geographical location , but as the footballing world has never really objected to Grimsby playing in Cleethorpes all through the years, so I think it passes.
And thus we decelerated the car to leave the M61 at junction 6 and it did feel both odd and exciting. The Macron Stadium is sign-posted which I do find kind of amusing…..short of the thickest fog imaginable descending, it would be hard to miss the ground even before you reach junction 6 from either direction. We drove initially past the ground along De Havilland Way before turning right into Lostock Lane where we sourced parking easily for a mere £5. After a short and leisurely stroll to the ground, we joined the growing crowd of expectant Northenders waiting patiently for the away turnstiles to open. There was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a high profile police presence but supporters and the law were all in a relaxed and cheery mood. Security was also tight, with firm no-nonsense searches being conducted once the turnstiles were open. Inside the ground, the impression is perhaps not as great as the stunning exterior might suggest, but it is still a ground with an individual and characteristic feel to it as you can still see the distinctive floodlight clusters and sections of the steel upperworks that are trademarks of Bolton Wanderer’s home for the modern age. The stewards were very friendly and wanted to chat…..and some were curious as to why so many of us were bedecked in suits and bowler hats. We were more than happy to explain!
And so we settled down to enjoy the build-up to the match, and it really did seem like an atmosphere of two halves. The away end was positively fizzing with noise and excitement, and yet there was barely a whisper from the home supporters which did puzzle me as I’d have expected them to try and rouse something up for a derby game. It seemed as though there was an air of resignation around the ground; that relegation was a foregone conclusion. There was little evidence of any pride, defiance, or any such spirit that I did expect to sense prior to kick-off, I had suspected that the recent take-over of the club may provide an uplift but saw and heard little to suggest even a flicker of optimism – even the pre kick-off flag waving exercise around the centre-circle seemed half-hearted.
Preston Fans Finding Their Voice
Meanwhile we sensed an away day victory was there for the taking, and ramped up the volume accordingly, and the players sensed it too as they got out of the traps early and put the home side under early pressure, and were unlucky not to take the lead on several occasions. However, goals change games, or so they say, and when the appropriately named Trotter put the Trotters ahead with a well taken shot from some distance through a crowd of players, one finally sensed some atmosphere from the home fans.Although the goal wasn’t received with the biggest eruption of noise, you still noticed the gloom lift considerably, and the home side had a reasonable run of possession. The home support perhaps now sensed that there was indeed still pride to play for, and with the longer term future of the club in safer hands, the sun-light trying to break through the clouds, with three points potentially in the bag, Fulham losing, the gap to safety down to 7 points…………….was there hope?
There was a brief lull in the usual terrace banter come the 33rd minute of the match, as the away support stood up to chant “hats off – for the 33” as had been suggested we should beforehand via social media, to remember the Bolton fans who tragically died in the Burnden Park disaster approximately 70 years previously. Soon you could see all the home fans in the stand at the opposite end standing up to applaud………a sombre yet passionate moment, or should I say minute of togetherness…………until the clock ticked over to 34 minutes and hostilities resumed in the normal fashion.
Nat Lofthouse Stand
In the second half, we were just starting to perhaps sense that it once again wouldn’t be our day……….we hadn’t scored a single goal against the Wanderers since 1992, we hadn’t won a “gentry day” fixture for nearly a decade…….when upon the hour mark something especially traditional to the passion of a north-west derby happened. There was a goal mouth scramble, the ball pinging about like a yo-yo……until Jordan Hugill , a Preston striker clearly keen to grasp a chance to prove his worth as he hadn’t been picked all that regularly reached bravely with his outstretched head low down to try and get contact with the ball…..many others would have feared to do so with so many desperate boots flying about……but enough contact was made for the ball to just teasingly evade the keepers grasp and then teasingly slowly bounce over the line right in front of us.
Rarely have I ever sensed and experienced an eruption quite like it……….les face it, a goal is a goal, no matter how scrappy and unglamorous it may be, and in a derby that you’ve waited 16 years for………you just don’t care. 4,500 Preston fans roared their appreciation. Several flares and smoke grenades were detonated too and at least one found its way onto the pitch. Let me be quite clear that I don’t condone such antics, and much as I share the passion of such moments, we really don’t benefit from those things being hurled about. To be fair, I think the goal was deserved, we had played the better football at that point….but of course, you want more don’t you??? You want the win! The players clearly sensed as much too, for they took the game to Bolton and attacked which did leave gaps at the back that Bolton tried to exploit on the counter-attack. But one heart-in-mouth moment apart when what looked like a good claim for a penalty was waved away to our relief, the Bolton strikers showed one of the reasons why their side was bottom of the table as they rarely seriously troubled Lindergaard in the Preston goal. And so once again……we were just beginning to sense that we’d have to be happy with a draw as the clock was beginning to tick down………when a teasing cross once again came speculatively in from the left, Vermijl had a shot that looked like it was covered by the keeper except that Doyle managed to get half a heel to it and deflect it in………….and that was it.
West Stand
Sometimes in football, you just know. Despite all the stats and figures about injury-time drama, that 86th minute goal was the winner. You just knew it. As we roared with unrestrained delight and shared the ecstasy with the players, several of whom had donned some of the Bowler hats which fortunately were the only things to rain down on the pitch this time, you could simultaneously feel the very life-blood of Bolton’s season draining away like a punctured balloon, as many of their fans left in their droves unable to take the repeated bellow of “Bolton –going down!!” from their neighbours that they’ve been accustomed to lording it over in recent decades. Ironically enough too, the brief spells of sunlight dissipated too, and greyness resumed!
The only further drama was that Preston actually found the time and space to bag a third only for the linesman to adjudge that there had been an offside offence and so the score-line stayed at 1-2. But there was no nervousness. No finger-nails chewed. The fight was gone out of our opponents. The final whistle was greeted with much rapture, and none of the travelling support seemed in any hurry to depart; instead more keen to revel in the heady atmosphere of a win over Bolton Wanderers. There was no trouble in the vicinity of the actual ground after the match, although I did hear subsequent reports that there had been trouble both before and after the match but further away from the stadium. We fortunately though witnessed none of that, getting quickly into our car and onto the motorway with minimum of fuss and heading over to Sale to take in a curry with an Uncle of mine and a family catch-up. It did look horribly over-congested for those hoping to take a train though, and it was reported back that it was indeed as bad as it looked.
As the lights started to go out on Bolton's Championship status….
We reflected in the days afterwards on what a great afternoon we’d been privileged to enjoy……as the echoes down the corridor reverberated around with the news that the Bolton manager Neil Lennon had stood down in the aftermath of the derby day defeat to Preston, and they’d allowed Feeney, one of their better players to go on loan for the rest of the season. Bolton were clearly now planning for life in the third tier, whereas we were very much pushing for a comfortable top half of table finish. One other reflection stood out. When Bolton scored, the players celebrated amongst themselves. When Preston scored, the players immediately raced to celebrate with the fans. How lovely it was to be in the middle of such a purple patch with a great rapport between the manager, the players, and the supporters. We’ll savour every second of this era for as long as it lasts.
Good things are well worth waiting for!
Plus points for the Macron Stadium
1.Great location for those travelling by road.
2. Fantastic looking stadium that has character
3. Laid back, yet professional stewarding even for a high-profile match
Minus points for the Macron
1. The railway station cannot adequately cope with a large away following.
Bolton Wanderers v Queens Park Rangers
Football Championship League
Saturday 20th February 2016, 3pm
Rob Cooper (QPR fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Macron Stadium?
This was to be my first visit to the Macron Stadium. I have driven many times past the stadium whilst travelling along the M61 and I thought it was time to finally watch a match there.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Probably the easiest away ground I've ever been to. Motorway all the way, Easy to park and got away really quickly after the game. I parked on an industrial estate 10 minutes walk from the ground. Only £3 to park there.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Called into Tesco next to the ground and grabbed a sandwich. Locals were very friendly.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Macron Stadium?
The Macron is a nice stadium and the away fans enjoy a good view of the pitch. However it was a foul day, cold with heavy rain. The turnstiles didn't open until 2pm, and it was a case of huddling outside the hotel trying to keep warm and dry. The roof offered no cover to the front of the away stand – I was 14 rows back, but my seat was wet, and I had rain blowing into my face through most of the first half.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
A pretty poor 1-1 draw (we equalised in the 90th minute). With Bolton having serious financial troubles and bottom of the table, it was very quiet. The facilities were good, and the pie (meat and potato) was tasty. The stewards were friendly, and it was a totally hassle free experience.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Less than five minutes from getting into the car to being back on the M61 motorway and on my way home. Easy!
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A really good day out. It was very cold though, and I could/ should have put on some extra layers before leaving home. Next time, I will check the weather forecast for Bolton more carefully. The sun was shining when I left home. However I would definitely go to the Macron Stadium again.
Bolton Wanderers v Derby County
Championship League
Saturday 8th August 2015, 3pm
Andrew Keay (Derby County fan)
Why were you looking forward to visiting the Macron Stadium?
I went to the Macron Stadium for the first time last season and I enjoyed it so much I couldn't wait to return. It is definitely in my top three away trips plus it was the first game of a new season.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It was a relatively easy journey as I only live in Stoke so a straight forward trip up the motorways. You can see the ground on your approach from the M61 so it's easy to find. I parked on an industrial estate, which I found by first passing the Macron Stadium on the left, then turning right at the traffic lights then taking the first right. There was plenty of parking available at just £3, so good value too.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As we had arrived at about half 12, we went to the Barnstormer Pub. We had visited the pub before on a previous visit. It is a lovely place and as it was a lovely Summer day we sat outside. We mingled with both Derby and Bolton fans which was very enjoyable. After a couple of drinks me and my daughter made our way down to the retail park next to the stadium, which has a number of different outlets and plenty of food options such as Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds etc.. We opted for a bite to eat at Subways then it was time to move onto the stadium.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
The Macron Stadium is a lovely example and looks the business with it design and appearance. However inside the concourse does tend to get a little crowded but once you get to the seats the place is just fantastic.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.
The game was far from the best with both teams hitting the woodwork but plenty of mistakes from both sides. 0-0 just about summed the game up but found the stewards helpful and they seemed cheerful too. The only problem was at half time they wouldn't let fans out to have a smoke, so instead the toilets became a smog room with people smoking in them.
Comment on getting away from the ground:
After the game it was about a ten minute walk back to the car then a bit of queuing until back on motorway but not too bad. It took about 20 mins to drive about a mile and a half but once on the motorway flew home in fact I was back in Stoke about 6.30pm brilliant.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Wonderful day out at one of my favorite grounds. It was helped by the great weather. Just a shame the game didn't match it but can't wait to return again.
Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Championship League
Saturday 31 January 2015, 3pm
Aimee Henry (Wolves fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
A chance to tick another ground off my list, and we were going there with an unbeaten 7 game run, stretching back to before Christmas. There’s always a bit of needle between England’s two most recognisable Wanderers (apologies to Wycombe), possibly going back to an ill-tempered play-off game in the mid-90s. I’m just slightly too young to remember it, apologies again If that makes you feel old! The ticket sales for the away end finished at just a smidgeon over 2,000, so it was set to be a good atmosphere in the away end. £28 a ticket is about the going rate for the Championship, I’ve paid more, I’ve paid less.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Decided to use the trains to get to this one. We split the journey a couple of times when booking the tickets, and got returns from Wolverhampton to Horwich Parkway for a little over £30, which is not too bad. The first train took us from Wolverhampton to Manchester Piccadilly, and after a short wait there, time for the toilet and a bar of chocolate, we went from Manchester Piccadilly to Bolton, then Bolton to Horwich Parkway. The travelling time was roughly two and a quarter hours. The ground is a short walk from Horwich Parkway station, just leave the main exit and it’s a straight walk to the Macron, which is visible from the station. From the quick glance at the timetables, the latter two trains in our journey run at a fairly regular rate, and it’s worth paying the couple of extra pounds to get a return valid for all journeys, should you be running late for any reason.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
I had a little walk around the ground, then decided to venture into Bolton’s rather snazzy club shop. Like most these days, it sold a mixture of replica gear, and your usual tat. A 50p bag of sweets has Bolton’s logo stamped on it, so becomes a £2 bag of sweets, you can have a Bolton Wanderers themed duvet and pillowcase, a Bolton Wanderers lunchbox, a Bolton Wanderers pencil case. Another interesting one was the signed photo of manager Neil Lennon. Priced at £45, it was perhaps a little more than I’d be prepared to pay…
The home fans were reasonably friendly, one middle aged man noticed my Wolves scarf and we had a brief chat about our respective seasons. I’d suggest the location and facilities around the ground mean that Bolton fans have little reason to mill around before kickoff, hence there weren’t an awful lot of them around.
There is a big retail park on which the Macron is situated, and plenty of places to eat. McDonalds, KFC, Nando’s, plus both a Tesco and an Asda. On the walk from the train station to the Macron you also pass two bars, including a Harvester. Amongst our travelling party was my teetotal dad and my brother who was attempting to avoid alcohol throughout the month of January, so we didn’t venture into the pub. What surprised me was the lack of food outlets outside the ground. I guess we’re spoilt at Molineux, where on a matchday you can’t move for burger vans, emitting that pungent yet wonderful aroma of frying onions. I often think Chanel should do that as a perfume, as in my experiences that’s a far more attractive smell to men than anything I’ve ever worn…
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The ground is situated on a retail park, and to be blunt, if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t assume that the Macron was a football stadium. With its curved roofs and glass fronts, it looks initially like a cross between a Conference Centre and an Olympic swimming pool. Once you get closer though, and see the turnstiles and Bolton crests adorning the walls, you’ll realise it’s the stadium. The stadium takes the form of a large bowl shape, and feels very modern.
My favourite thing about it was the wonderful tribute to Nat Lofthouse. As well as a very nice statue, the area around it is where Bolton home their supporter bricks. For anyone unfamiliar with these, many clubs offer fans the chance to purchase a brick, have a message or a name put onto it, and it will be used somewhere around the stadium, visible for everyone. At Wolves, we have ours making up a wall outside the ticket office, which is slightly underwhelming I’ll have to be honest, but here the Bolton ones were right next to a statue of a man who must have meant so much to those fans, which I thought was a lovely touch.
Nat Lofthouse Statue
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc…
The game itself was a fairly dull one, between two teams having an off day. We actually came out of the blocks quite quickly, and there can only have been about two minutes on the clock when Kevin McDonald’s lofted pass was controlled and finished superbly by Nouha Dicko. It was at this point that some guy across from us decided to let of a smoke bomb. Very colourful, but a bit worrying when you’re asthmatic father starts coughing quite heavily.
After that, we never really got into the game, we sat too deep and lacked a creative spark in the absence of flying winger Bakary Sako, who was flying home from the African Cup of Nations so was unavailable. Bolton themselves weren’t great, but there was a crazy 5 minute spell where they scored twice, to take the lead. Danny Batth cynically chopped Adam Le Fondre down on the edge of the box, and youngster Zach Clough stepped up to curl a delicious free kick into the far corner. There will be question marks over Carl Ikeme’s positioning, but take nothing away from the strike. Then barely two minutes later Clough scored again, taking advantage of some generous defensive work from Rajiv Van La Parra and Batth, to pick out the far corner, albeit Ikeme got a hand to the shot. As far as attacking play went, that was it for the first half, both sides had spells of possession but could create very little.
Second half was very similar, if anything we shaded the possession, but lacked any real spark. We barely registered a shot on goal. That was, until, added time. James Henry, a vastly underrated winger with a cracking right foot and a wonderful beard, put the former to good use to hammer in an equaliser from 30 yards. It was as pure a strike as I’ve seen in a long time, and the away end erupted. I somehow managed to cut and bruise my foot in the celebrations, I’ll take that all day long though, in celebrating a barely earned point. Bizarrely, Henry and his team mates ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of us, meaning they were all back in their own half. The referee allowed Bolton to kick off, with half of our team still jumping about in front of the away stand! Fortunately nothing came of it, and the game finished 2-2. We could have had no complaints had we lost, yet the last minute equaliser made it feel like a win.
The atmosphere was a bit flat, to be honest. I would say the ground was only 60% full, and there were great swathes of empty seats across all sections of the home support, meaning there wasn’t any continuous noise from anywhere. Even when they scored, the noise was drowned out by the dreaded goal music, something which I’m sure every fan would happily throw into Room 101, should they ever be invited onto Frank Skinner’s programme.
View From The Lower Away Section
The stewards were there if you needed them, but didn’t seem to be particularly enthralled by their job. One particularly surly one kept walking up the steps to tell fans to stay clear of the steps. It reminded me of a fussy Fourth Official, snapping into action whenever a manager dares stray from his technical area.
The food was a nice selection of pies, burgers, hotdogs. I went with the Holland’s Peppered Steak Pie, which I’d enjoyed a few weeks ago at Blackburn. It was again very nice, and again very peppery! You’d think I’d have learned my lesson…
The toilets were clean, although the hand dryers in the girls’ toilets were useless, I’d have been quicker blowing on my hands to dry them. I asked my brother what the men’s toilets were like, for the purpose of this review, but his shrug didn’t really help. I suppose if you’ve been to enough grounds you probably get used to the toilets.
The programme was fairly decent, the section on Wolves was well researched. It was quite child friendly, plenty of quiz pages. The captain’s article by Jay Spearing was laced with irony, given that two days ago he left to join Blackburn on loan. An interesting feature was ‘One to Eleven’, where midfielder Neil Danns selected the best XI he’s played with. If you’re interested, and why wouldn’t you be, he went with: Friedel, Clyne, Berg, Short, Konchesky, Moses, Dunn, Tugay, Zaha, Cole, Yorke. At £3 it was also priced in line with most other Championship clubs.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
The walk back to the train station was easy enough, but sadly a heady mix of a last minute equaliser, an already exisiting rivalry and alcohol meant that some fans, from both sets of teams, caused a bit of trouble at the station. One of the windows of the train was broken, causing about an hour’s delay. Thankfully, as mentioned above, we had the foresight to buy return tickets valid for any journey on that route, so we were able to catch the next available trains to the ones we had planned. It took slightly longer to get home than we’d planned, but fortunately seeing as Strictly Come Dancing isn’t on this time of year, we didn’t miss anything important on telly by adding an hour to our journey…
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A fairly dull game, bookended by two very well taken Wolves goals, made for an interesting afternoon in the biting Lancastrian wind. A draw which felt like a win which could have been a loss, as my brother put it. Mind you, he did lambast James Henry for contributing nothing to the game, about 30 seconds before he scored, so what does he know?
The Macron Stadium is a nice, modern stadium, but what it has in cleanliness and aesthetics, it perhaps lacks in charm and acoustics. It’s a nice place to watch football, certainly, but for the more traditional supporters amongst you, it may leave you pining for the ‘good old days’ of terracing.
Bolton Wanderers v Watford
Championship League
Saturday 22 February 2014, 3pm
Kevan & Eddy Simth (Watford fans)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
It was going to be a nice way to round off a family half term break to the Peak District. Bolton have not won for a while and Watford fans normally enjoy away trips.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We stayed in a hotel a ten minute walk from the ground. Apart from the car parks immediately around the stadium we saw a few others located at in school and offices. Understandably it appeared to be easier to park than on a previous Premier League visit in 2006.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
There did not seem to be any food vans outside the ground so we had a cheeseburger and a chicken balti pie, which was on the small side, inside the ground. The food was of decent quality. Outside was very quiet.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The ground was nicely designed and looked modern and unique compared to other new stadiums. All sides are of the same design and height.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
From a Watford's fans perspective it was a boring game with few chances for Watford. A good first half by Bolton allowed them to take a 2-0 lead. After half time there were no real opportunities and Watford never looked like coming back from behind. The atmosphere was poor for both teams and even the normally vocal Watford away fans did not get into their stride. The stewards seemed fairly relaxed but there was nothing to test them as the atmosphere was poor. There were plenty of room on the concourse, the toilets were good and the view of the action was good.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Away fans exit directly towards the main road and this was made quicker by watching the last two minutes of stoppage time on the screens in the concourse. On the walk back the main roads were moving well.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A good day out but spoiled by the football from a Watford perspective although the defeat could have been heavier. Other than that a visit to Bolton is a worthwhile trip.
Bolton Wanderers v Leeds United
Championship League
Saturday 15 September 2013, 3pm
John Rogers (Leeds United fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
Another 'first', although a ground I have seen many times during journeys around the North West.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The Reebok must be one of the easiest grounds in the country to get to and from, being situated just off junction 6 of the M61. Horwich Parkway railway station is just 200 metres from the stadium. There are several car parks in the vicinity, most of which charge in the region of £4-£5. However, if one doesn't mind a short walk of around 15 minutes, free parking can be found in the streets close to the Beehive pub.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
The Beehive pub can be used by away fans. There is a sandwich shop nearby and a Subway in the retail park adjacent to the ground, but little else as the stadium is not near the centre of Bolton or neighbouring Horwich.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The ground is very distinctive, with an unusual floodlight pylon/cantilevered stand structure which gives it a character missing from many of the newer grounds. The capacity is surprisingly low for what appears to be quite a large ground from the outside.
The area around the ground has been attractively landscaped and the newly-unveiled statue of Nat Lofthouse provides a fitting focal point for a club with a long history.
Inside, the view is excellent, with clear lines of sight and steeply raked upper tiers that give the feeling of being close to the action.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Delighted with our 1-0 win, which continued Bolton's wretched start to the season – no doubt a contributory factor to the lack of atmosphere provided by the home support. The Leeds following, which numbered c. 4800, was again excellent throughout.
Contrary to what I had heard, stewarding was discreet and no attempt was made to force fans to remain seated. Leg room was excellent…probably more so amongst home supporters, who were conspicuous by their absence.
Refreshments were generally unexceptional and pricey. That said, I did wonder whether Boltonians wanted to appear more refined, offering glasses of wine and insisting my coke was decanted into a plastic cup.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Easy – 10 minutes from getting into the car to hitting the motorway.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
The result was obviously the most important aspect of the visit to the Reebok, but I can't imagine there will be many better venues to watch Championship football
Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City
Championship League
Saturday 3rd November 2012, 3pm
Steve Williams (Cardiff City fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
We were looking forward going to the ground as it was one of the few grounds we hadn't been to. We had been to the old Burnden Park ground years ago but since Bolton and Cardiff haven't been in the same league for years it seemed like a good away trip.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey was straight forward, the ground well is signposted off the M61. Parking seemed limited, apart from the retail park (Middlebrook) which was rather busy. We decided to go past the ground and park around the Beehive roundabout area, about 15 mins walk to the Reebok.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Having parked up in the Beehive roundabout area, we found an away friendly pub (The Beehive) that was full of Cardiff fans, nice relaxed atmosphere, decent pint and decent food. Also if you had kids there was a wacky warehouse on site too. Home fans in this pub seemed friendly too which always helps.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The ground is very cool looking to be honest, mainly due to the unusual floodlights. The away end view was great, as are most modern stadiums and the leg room was okay, which can be a problem sometimes with me being over 6 feet tall.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself was poor with City losing 2-1 in the end mainly down to the ref having a nightmare game (that’s my view). The stewards at the game seemed over the top to be honest and reading past reviews this seems to be the case for most away fans. Several City fans were ejected before half time. The atmosphere was quite good, bearing in mind Bolton’s home crowds have dropped some what since being relegated.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away after the game was easy , straight out into the retail park and a 15 min walk to the car. You do come out though into the home fans, which can make things interesting.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Easy ground to get to, parking fairly easy, away friendly pub near ground and decent view. All in all a good away day, apart from the result.
Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic
Premier League
Saturday 11th February 2012, 3pm
Alan Parker (Wigan Athletic fan)
My son and I had previously been to this ground to support Wigan on three previous occasions, with one win and two draws. This match was a real 'six pointer' and a defeat for Wigan would have seen them really cut adrift. As it turned out, at the end of the weekend, just two points separated the bottom five teams, who seem to be forming a mini league of their own (QPR, Blackburn, Wolves, Bolton and Wigan). My son had brought along his German girlfriend, to experience her first football match.
We have passed the Reebok many times before, whilst driving along the M61. I have even been there on teaching courses, held in the luxurious board rooms. The stadium is not huge but is very attractive and well proportioned from the outside and the inside is no less impressive. The corners are filled in and there is an intense atmosphere.
Getting there is no problem, it is just a short distance off the motorway, and there is a railway station right by the ground as well. We took the first left turn and parked on an icy car park, costing £6. We got there fairly early, with the intention of walking to the Beehive pub about half a mile past the ground for a pint and to watch the second half of the Man United v. Liverpool match on TV. This is a good venue for away fans. On the way back to the ground, it was noticeable there was quite a large police presence and a few arrests were being made, but we had no idea what for. The German girl was intrigued by all the police horses and wondered why they used them. Had to think a bit for reasons! Getting into the ground was no problem, but as usual there are far more stewards around the away end than anywhere else and they carried out fairly random, half-hearted searches.
The concourse is quite cramped so we did not linger. We had seats in row G of the lower tier (actually the fourth row), looking directly down the touchline, quite different from our usual side-on seats at the DW. Wigan played magnificently, as if their very lives depended on the result, and the atmosphere in the away end was electric. Some flares were thrown and there was a lot of smoke at one time. Quite continental. Caldwell scored for Wigan just before half time, then Mark Davies equalised with a superb strike after a lucky deflection off Ngog's back. But McArthur scored a late, deserved winner for Wigan. Cue great rejoicing amongst the Wiganers. The Bolton fans were not impressed with their team's performance. There were boos at half time and lots of empty seats well before the end. As usual, Wigan were near the end of Match of the Day, and also as usual, there was little or no analysis of the match. They had spent most of the time on the Suarez non-handshake incident.
Bolton is a great away day. Tickets reasonable at £22. Lovely ground, decent leg room, home fans seem reasonably friendly, easy to get to, decent pub not far away. Let's hope this fixture will take place next season with both teams still in the Premier league. I realise it is easy to be generous when your side has just won !
Getting away was fairly easy, after queuing to get off the car park. The M61 is close by and we were soon heading North.
Bolton Wanderers v Norwich City
Premier League
Saturday 17th September 2011, 3pm
Thomas Ling (Norwich City fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
This was my first visit to the Rebook and I was really looking forward to it. I had heard the the stadium was really good and modern and that the fans were friendly, which is always good on an away day.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey up to Bolton was straightforward and relaxing. We travelled by coach, which was supplied by a private company called Easton's. On the way we stopped at Castleford at a Retail Park, which 'conveniently' had a Wetherspoon outlet located nearby, where we enjoyed a good selection of food and drink at reasonable prices.
We then continued onto Bolton and in total we spent five hours travelling on the coach from Norwich. The stadium was easy to spot just off the M61 and we parked right outside. This is was on one of the official car parks which you had to pay to get into, whether you were car or bus.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
We did not go to a pub or chip shop we just bought a programme and went straight into the ground. The programme sellers game right up to our bus which was quite handy. Although we didn't go to a pub, I noticed that there was a Harvester and a Premier Inn just across from the stadium, which if you are staying overnight or want something to eat or drink, then this might be an idea.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The catering area was okay but a little on the small side. But there was Sky Sports on, and when we got there they had the Blackburn v Arsenal game on which was very good. The away stand, the South Stand, was like the rest of the stadium being two tiered. The stadium was really good and looked great. In my opinion, it is one of the top stadiums in Britain.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself was good for Norwich, with two quick goals in the first half, that set us on our way. Just after half time, Bolton were reduced to 10 men, when they had a player sent off for improper conduct. Bolton did managed to pull one back from the penalty spot but we held on for a 2-1 win.
The atmosphere at the stadium was good from a Norwich perspective, but the home fans were a little quiet throughout the match. They were good at the start of the game, particularly in the corner of the West Stand next to the away fans, but this ebbed away as the match went our way. There was also a drummer behind the goal in the North stand which banged on thought the match. Annoyingly, the stewards kept telling us to sit down, but we like most Norwich fans decided to ignore them and in the stewards soon gave up.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away from the ground was easy, walk outside onto the waiting coach, then after a 5-10 minute wait we were on our way on to the M61 and then it was an easy drive home.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I had really enjoyed my trip to the Rebook. This was a fun and easy to get to. It was also fantastic to get all three points.
Bolton Wanderers v Newcastle United
Premier League
Saturday 20th November 2010, 3pm
Kevin Laidler (Newcastle United fan)
This was my first visit to The Reebok Stadium and due to visiting family in Doncaster I travelled by car from Yorkshire via The A1 and the M62, M60 and M61. The stadium t was easy to find from the M61 and was an impressive sight with its space age looks.
I headed for The Bromilow Arms as recommended elsewhere on this site and parked in a side street next to it which was about a 15 minute walk away from the ground. This pub had a good, friendly atmosphere with probably more away supporters than home fans. Although it was packed it didn't take long to get served and they had a good selection of real ale and good banter between both sets of supporters. I would certainly recommend this pub for visiting supporters.
The away end was the nearest end of the ground to this pub. I was seated behind the goal and leg room was okay but it didn't really matter as Toon fans tend to stand. The atmosphere was a bit bit flat from the home fans who didn't get going until they were winning. They eventually tonked us 5-1, which to give them credit, they deserved. They had a large electronic scoreboard in the right hand corner of the away end which replayed parts of the match which was good.
At half time it was fairly easy going to toilets compared to a lot of grounds which tend to be more cramped. I didn't use food or drink outlets so cannot comment on them.
I found the stewards a bit heavy picking on people for standing.
Getting away from the ground was not a problem. By the time I got to my car and left it was fairly quiet and I got on to the M61 then onto the M62.
Not a bad day out apart from the result. These out of town stadiums are not as much fun as inner city stadiums but access was easy, parking okay and getting a drink was was fine.