IT’S 10.30am and a team of senior police officers are beginning their morning briefing ahead of Bolton’s vital derby clash against Blackburn Rovers.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and British Transport Police (BTP) have already spent the week gathering intelligence in the run up to the game which will see 3,500 away fans coming through the turnstiles at the Reebok Stadium.

Supt Phil Unsworth is the game’s “Silver Commander” who will lead the morning briefings before heading to a GMP control suit in Sedgley Park, Prestwich, where he will remain in constant touch with his officers by radio and watch events unfold on CCTV.

But right now, he is sitting in the Reebok’s main control room, from where the police can access more than 50 CCTV cameras and have a panoramic view of the ground.

He is listening to Bolton’s football intelligence officers, Sgt John Clee and PC Adie Ollerton, outline the major policing issue for the day ahead, which will see the Reebok welcoming 21,000 fans for a 1.30pm kick off.

The team then make their way over to the other side of the stadium to speak to the officers who are on duty for the match.

GMP has allocated almost 40 police officers for the game, while an extra team of eight police officers is on duty in Bolton town centre.

Last year’s derby saw some minor skirmishes between fans and 14 people were thrown out of the ground, mostly for minor offences like smoking.

During the build-up to the match, both GMP and BTP deployed teams of police “spotters” on the look-out for known troublemakers, particularly the 46 Bolton fans and 23 Blackburn fans who have been made subject to football banning orders.

Supt Unsworth tells his officers about the importance of engaging with the public.

“The success of today depends on how well we work together as a team. We have to set the right tone. I want you to speak to people. To nip things in the bud and if you see things developing; intervene,” he said.

Sgt Clee added: “At the end of the day this is a local derby and if there’s going to be any trouble it could be at this fixture. We must be extra vigilant.”

Meanwhile, as GMP officers continue their preparations, BTP officers are already out policing the rail network and the main stations.

They are expecting around 500 Blackburn fans and around 1,000 Bolton fans to come to the game by train and at noon the first fans start to arrive at Horwich Parkway. Extra trains have been laid on to cope with the numbers of supporters who will be escorted by BTP officers to and from the game.

Despite worries that local rivalries could see tempers running high, the 90- minutes goes by without major incident.

Around five people were thrown out of the ground by stewards and police for unruly behaviour but no arrests were made.

However, the end of the game brings the biggest challenge for BTP who, with the aid of mounted officers, segregate Bolton and Blackburn fans and put them into separate carriages on their departing trains.

And, as the Blackburn fans celebrate their 2-0 win, they cannot resist a few chants at the expense of their Bolton rivals. However, the crowd never looks like turning nasty and the police get everyone away without much trouble.

In total, five men were arrested for public order offences committed on trains between Bolton and Blackburn — not unusual for a busy match day.

Sgt Duncan Berry said: “I think today’s game was a good example of how we work with our partners at GMP and with the rail companies to make the railways safer. We do our best to prevent trouble but we will not tolerate anti-social and criminal behaviour to and from a match.”

And as the pundits prepare their verdicts on the action on the field, football intelligence officers are already thinking about the next home game against Manchester City and the new set of challenges it could bring.