I have been living in the ‘soft south’, Reading to be precise, for many more years now than Bolton, where I grew up, but I remain a loyal Wanderers fan and try to attend games as often as possible.

So with my husband (a QPR fan but who accompanies me to all Bolton matches) we caught the Reading supporters' bus down to the "Mad Stad" on Saturday.

The journey was possibly almost as long as some of those coming from Bolton as it took our bus an hour and a half to negotiate the Reading traffic made worse by flooding and endless roadworks arriving just in time for kick off.

I was so looking forward to seeing the game as many good friends are Reading supporters and there is always anticipation for this fixture.

I am not a cricket fan but I now know their pain and embarrassment after the recent Ashes performance (well for the men’s team anyway) and I shan't be displaying my Bolton Wanderers mascot in my car with pride for a while.

But I do want to say a huge thank you to the Bolton travelling fans who never lost heart, unlike the team on the pitch, and who chanted, shouted and made jokes to the bitter end - this despite knowing they had a long coach journey back to face and NOTHING to celebrate.

The atmosphere was, for the most part, brilliant, and reminded me why I still support Bolton, as the chant went up, "Bolton till I die".

I have my ticket already for the QPR game and I know the Bolton fans will turn up, but will a team with a will to win and spirit be there?

Caroline Fairbrother, via email