HOWEVER painful the experience, players, managers and supporters are of the same opinion -- the Premiership is the only place to be.

Wanderers have savoured the delights twice in the past six years and they are hungry for more. Not only that but, having failed to establish a foothold on their two previous occasions, they are desperate to make it third time lucky.

Particularly desperate to prove wrong the doubters who have them marked down for another instant return to the Nationwide League.

The chance to make up for past disappointments -- the non-event of 95-96 when they were never seriously in the survival hunt and 1997-98, when they were relegated for the want of just five goals and could point to the injustice of "the goal that never was" that, had it stood, would have sent down Everton in their stead.

Wanderers have been found wanting in the Premiership - John McGinlay's winning goal against Bruce Rioch's Arsenal at Burnden Park being one of the few highlights of their first campaign -- but they have made a nuisance of themselves and had their moments of glory.

Who knows how things would have turned out if referee Steve Lodge or his assistant spotted that Gerry Taggart's second half header had crossed the line -- by some distance as the pictures showed -- before Terry Phelan hacked it clear?

The season had kicked off so promisingly when Nathan Blake's goal gave them a 1-0 win in the sunshine at Southampton but there would be too many occasions when Colin Todd's team did well enough to match their top flight opponents, but failed to make the extra yard to convert draws into victories.

But there were treasured memories too. Manchester United were the reigning Champions but they missed out to Arsenal this time -- and how they could have done with the four points Wanderers denied them!

It was an altogether different story to their duels of 95-96 when the Reds romped to a 9-0 double including an embarrassing 6-0 hammering at Burnden! Mike Whitlow -- signed to replace the luckless Robbie Elliott who broke his leg 19 days earlier -- and South African international Mark Fish made their debuts as Wanderers regained a modicum of self-respect with a scoreless draw at the Reebok.

And they did good jobs at the back in a derby best remembered for the first half flashpoint that saw Blake and Garry Pallister red carded.

Better still, in the game that marked the 40th anniversary of the Munich air disaster Bob Taylor earned himself a place in Bolton folklore when he silenced the United contingent in the 55,000 Old Trafford crowd.

For the best part of half an hour, "Super" Bob's goal looked like securing all three points until Andy Cole salvaged a draw five minutes from time.

There were great goals -- Alan Thompson's in the defeat at Liverpool -- and memorable performances -- the victories at Villa (3-1) and at home to Crystal Palace (5-2) that sent the Super White Army to Chelsea chanting the Great Escape theme for all they were worth.

Sadly, in the closing minutes of the final afternoon of a season that kicked off with high hopes -- and again in bright sunshine -- the survival dream was shattered.

It had been a great adventure ... but that just made the disappointment so much harder to bear.