BOLTON Wanderers will celebrate their 2,000th home league game on Saturday by handing out free tickets to 1,000 lucky local schoolchildren. The milestone match against Crewe Alexandra will be the first of a two-part celebration that will involve a massive complimentary ticket handout.

One thousand more free tickets will be distributed for the home game against QPR on March 13, when Wanderers will officially celebrate the Centenary Season of the Football League.

Both anniversaries are special to Wanderers, who were original members of the Football League when it was launched in 1888. Every primary, secondary and special school in the Bolton Borough will be allocated 16 tickets - eight each for the Crewe and QPR matches - to issue to youngsters as they wish.

"The two events fall side by side and we felt we wanted youngsters to have the benefit of the ticket offer," Wanderers chief executive Des McBain explained.

"It will be the responsibility of the schools how the tickets are allocated but we would hope they might go to children who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity of coming to the Reebok."

Tickets for Wanderers games at Huddersfield next Tuesday and Swindon on Saturday week and the home game against Barnsley on Tuesday, March 9 are now on open sale.

Seats for the QPR home game will be available to members and Lifeline holders on Thursday before going on open sale from Saturday.

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