BOLTON Wanderers fans felt anger and disappointment as relegation from the Championship was confirmed following defeat at Derby on Saturday, but an appeal has been made for them to stick by the club.

Fans took to social media to bemoan the 4-1 defeat but there was also an appeal to stick by the club in these difficult times.

In a statement on its website, Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust (BWFCST) described it as "a sad day in the history of our beloved BWFC" but said life in the third tier "must be tackled head on and faced with steel and determination".

It added: "We are all in this together and we need to pull in the same direction to ensure the decline in fortunes is stopped and then turned around as quickly as possible.

"With at least a £4m drop in Football League distributions to factor in, it is now vital that supporters keep coming to games.

"We all have our part to play in the battle ahead and we specifically need the input of the community, educational and business institutions."

BWFCST added that incentives with season ticket pricing and concessionary tickets were needed to encourage fans to attend games as well as developing links between the club, supporters and Bolton community.

Wanderers fan Cllr John Walsh said: "It wasn't quite unexpected but obviously very, very sad. As a fan I've experienced relegation before to third division and there have been worse days.

"The important thing from here is for the club to rebuild for the future and for the owners to have a plan in place so come August it will be time to fight the battle for promotion in the first season. It's been done before."

The Whites needed to win on Saturday against Derby County and would still have had to rely on results elsewhere to postpone what most fans believed was inevitable.

As it was, Wanderers were all but relegated by half time, trailing 2-0 at the iPro stadium.

They were soon trailing 3-0 after the break and despite a consolation from Zach Clough, the team conceded again, securing the drop into League One.

The last time the club played in the third tier of English football was in 1993.

Former Whites captain Kevin Davies took to Twitter to express his disappointment, writing: "Sad day for @OfficialBWFC no fight, look at what Rotherham are doing again today. Rebuilding starts now I guess, will come back I'm sure"

Another Wanderers legend, John McGinlay, who was part of the team promoted from that division 16 years ago, told the BBC: "This has been a long time coming. I’m gutted. I’m sitting here lost for words. It’s been a tough season."

Fans also used Twitter to let their feels known.

David Walton said: “40 years a Wanderer, never seen a team of quitters like this. How they can take their money I don't know.”

Wilf ?@Bartims wrote: “Now relegation confirmed I wanted to tweet a few words of wisdom. But I'm gutted. We've been set back a generation and it's a long way back #bwfc.”

Nathan ?@sinnott1808 said: “Current bunch should be ashamed of themselves. Especially the likes of Pratley, Wheater, Moxey and Davies. #bwfc.”

Read Marc Iles' match verdict on Pages 38 & 39.